Plan with
Confidence
Access to the trailhead is all on paved roads. There is a small dirt parking lot across from the start of the trail or you can park in the paved lot about 100 feet farther up the road. The road (and the campground) are open between late May and mid-October.
Path Type
Point to Point
The trail starts just before the entrance sign for Kangaroo Lake and climbs to the ridge above the Pacific Crest Trail on four long switchbacks. There are interpretive signs at several points along the trail. At 0.5 miles from the trailhead you'll reach an overlook for Kangaroo Lake.
At 0.9 miles from the trailhead, you'll pass a signed junction with a trail (#5568) that passes through a meadow and a grove of old-growth trees on its way to an end at Forest Road 40N15. At 1.2 miles from the trailhead, you'll crest the ridge with sweeping views of the Salmon Mountains to the north and the Trinity Alps to the south and west. From the ridgecrest it's a short downhill stroll to the end of the Fen Trail at the PCT.
A popular dayhike involving the Fen Trail is an out-and-back trip from Kangaroo Lake to Bull Lake along the PCT. Sweeping views and wildflowers (in season) make this an easy, but rewarding, hike. You can swim is either Kangaroo or Bull Lakes, but Bull will be the least crowded of the two.
All Clear
All Clear
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