Kenny Lake Trail

Kenny Lake Trail is one of those quiet, unassuming walks that rewards you with a surprisingly beautiful payoff for minimal effort. Starting near the Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center off the Edgerton Highway, this short out-and-back wanders through boreal forest — spruce and birch filtering the light — before delivering you to the shores of Kenny Lake. The trail itself is unmaintained by the Park Service, so expect a rougher footpath with roots, muddy patches, and sections that can get overgrown by midsummer. The lake, though, is the real draw: a glassy surface reflecting the Wrangell Mountains on calm days, the kind of scene that makes you forget you're only a short stroll from the road. This is a perfect leg-stretcher for anyone passing through on the way to McCarthy, and birders will find the lakeside margins worth lingering around.