When does snow clear from Paintbrush Divide for a Teton Crest Trail permit trip?

Late July, most years. Paintbrush Divide is the route's high point at 10,700 feet and it holds snow longer than anywhere else on the traverse; Hurricane Pass at 10,338 feet is usually not far behind. Snow can sit on these passes into late July, and in big snow years steep, hard early-morning snow on the Divide is genuinely consequential terrain, which is why early-season parties carry an ice axe and know how to use it.

The reliable window is mid-July through mid-September. Inside that window the trade-offs are the usual ones: mid-July brings peak wildflowers and the most competition for camp reservations, August brings the most settled conditions, and early September brings quiet camps with colder nights.

If you hold a permit for the first half of July, do not automatically bail. Call the backcountry office for current pass conditions as your date approaches, pack traction and an axe if reports warrant it, and plan the Paintbrush crossing for mid-morning after the surface softens. Some parties also route around a bad year by reversing direction so the steepest snow is ascended rather than descended.

Whatever the month, afternoon thunderstorms are the other timing constraint. The route spends long stretches above 10,000 feet with real exposure, so passes are morning objectives.