Triple Lakes Trail

Triple Lakes is Denali's marathon day hike — a nearly ten-mile point-to-point traverse that earns every bit of its strenuous rating. Starting from the Tsenesdghaas Na' Trailhead, you'll push through boreal forest thick with spruce and birch before the canopy opens to reveal the first of three pristine subarctic lakes, each one glinting like a dropped coin in the tundra. The trail threads between two creek crossings on sturdy bridges, giving your boots a reprieve from the wet muskeg sections that bookend them. Expect rolling terrain with enough sustained climbing to leave your quads with a strong opinion about you. The payoff is a slow-building panorama of the Alaska Range, with Denali herself making cameos between clouds. This trail rewards the stubborn — hikers who want a full wilderness day without the backcountry permit paperwork.