Parking
Park at Tsenesdghaas Na’ Trailhead on the east side of Highway 3, north of the Nenana River and Denali Park Village. The north end is near the Denali Visitor Center; use the McKinley Station Trail to reach the Triple Lakes route from there.
Overview
About Triple Lakes Trail
Why go
- Passes three lakes through quiet boreal forest
- Two large creek bridges and views toward Riley Creek and surrounding mountains
- Southern trailhead allows shorter out-and-back hikes to the lakes
Heads up
- The full 9.5-mile point-to-point traverse requires a shuttle or car drop
- About 1,000 feet of elevation change with climbing in both directions
- Wet or muddy sections are possible, and the Wilderness section has a 12-person group limit
Triple Lakes is Denali’s longest established trail, a point-to-point traverse through boreal forest linking Tsenesdghaas Na’ Trailhead near Denali Park Village with the Denali Visitor Center area. The official distance is 9.5 miles one way and the hike typically takes 4 to 5 hours. The high point lies near the middle, so expect uphill and downhill travel in either direction.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy hike itMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali map
Full mapElevation1,693–2,780 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Denali alert
- InfoDenali Park Road open to Mile 30; heavy equipmentThe Denali Park Road is open to Mile 30 (Teklanika River); stay alert for heavy equipment traveling on the road. Check current park conditions before traveling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Denali Tour Guide
Your drive to Triple Lakes Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Denali National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Denali audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Denali Park VillageListen
“You're now approaching the Denali Park Village, a major lodging and dining hub set right on the Nenana River. The Gold Rush Dining Room here is known for its river views and a very useful early-morning breakfast buffet.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Denali Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Moose Alley: Wildlife-Smart Driving
- Ghosts of Dead Ice: Kettle Ponds
- Fire on the Taiga
- Husky Homestead Sled Dog Tour
- 113 audio storiesacross Denali’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolf, Canada Lynx, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 60 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Triple Lakes Trail
The route and feelFrom the southern trailhead, the route climbs and rolls through spruce forest toward three…
From the southern trailhead, the route climbs and rolls through spruce forest toward three lakes before continuing north toward the Denali Visitor Center area. Near the north end, two large creek bridges are part of the route. The trail offers views toward Riley Creek and surrounding mountains, with wet or muddy sections possible after rain. It lies within designated Wilderness along much of the corridor.
Access and logisticsStart at Tsenesdghaas Na’ Trailhead, a parking area on the east side of Highway 3 north of the…
Start at Tsenesdghaas Na’ Trailhead, a parking area on the east side of Highway 3 north of the Nenana River and Denali Park Village. The northern end is close to the Denali Visitor Center and is reached from the visitor center via the McKinley Station Trail, less than 1 mile. A full traverse is point-to-point: arrange a shuttle or car drop between the two ends, and note that there is no shuttle service between the southern trailhead and the Denali Visitor Center. Without transportation, consider hiking partway and returning the same way. Groups are limited to 12 people in the designated Wilderness section.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Denali
715 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
74 sightingsWolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
49 sightingsCanada LynxMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
795 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
917 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
405 sightingsDall's SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Denali. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
