The Horseshoe Lake Loop Trail near the entrance of Denali National Park is both scenic and relatively easy. This 3.2 mile trail is listed as having 250 feet elevation gain. The elevation change ranges from 5%-20%, with at least 5 sections of steps which are made of compacted gravel and a retaining log. The trail is about 5 feet wide, well maintained and easy to follow.
A section of the steps on Horseshoe Lake Loop Trail
The trail goes around Horseshoe Lake providing good viewing of beaver dams and a beaver lodge. We saw several beavers swimming in the lake. We were also fortunate to watch a beaver come out of the lake, cross over the trail in front of us and climb up a steep embankment toward a stand of aspen where it was probably collecting food. Several other hikers had spotted a couple of moose, but they had moved on before we arrived.
View of Horseshoe Lake and surrounding area from upper trail section
Part of the larger beaver dam viewed on this trail
Beaver viewed crossing hiking trail
Another beaver’s dam shot
Horseshoe Lake Loop also goes past the Nenana River and spends a good amount of time winding through spruce & birch forest. There are also open sections of trail with great views of the surrounding mountains. It travels near railroad tracks with the occasional Alaska Railroad Train.
Nenana River & mountains
An open section of trail
This is a very popular trail, so you can plan to share it with other park visitors. We could have accessed this from our Riley Creek Campground or Denali RV Park.
