Thomas Lake Winter
Minnesota
Free — you'll pick up right here.
18.8 mi
Distance
178 ft
Gain
No verdict for this route
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Superior National Forest
2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Outside any avalanche forecast zone
No avalanche center covers this location, so danger ratings can't be shown.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Here's your day on snow, mapped
Thomas Lake Winter
Suggested plan · check conditions before you go
Elevation & route
- Distance
- 18.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 607 ft
- Elevation loss
- 607 ft
- Highest point
- 1,564 ft
- Lowest point
- 1,427 ft
Gear for the day
Photos
Directions & GPX
About this route
Thomas Lake Winter is an out-and-back trail in Minnesota managed by the Forest Service, 18.80 miles and 519 feet of elevation gain.
Facts about this route
The climb
- Starts at
- 1,441 ft
- High point
- 1,564 ft
- Steepest stretch
- 8% grade around mile 2.4 on the way out
- Length (round trip)
- 19 mi
- Shape
- Out and back
Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)
When to go
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Ely 25e, MN weather station, 0.8 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan15° high-7° low
- Feb21° high-4° low
- Mar34° high9° low
- Apr47° high24° low
- May62° high38° low
- Jun72° high50° low
- Jul77° high55° low
- Aug75° high53° low
- Sep66° high44° low
- Oct50° high32° low
- Nov33° high19° low
- Dec20° high3° low
Where it is
- Kawishiwi Ranger District · Ranger district
- Superior National Forest · National forest
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area Mineral Reserve Area · Public land
- Managed by
- Forest Service
Conditions
Active alerts for Superior National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:
information · posted Sep 30, 2026
Post Wildfire Closures, Effective October 1, 2026
critical · posted Sep 30, 2026
Fall prescribed fire–pile burning
information · posted Sep 25, 2026
Watch for Wildfire Hazards While Recreating
information · posted Sep 14, 2026
Forest Road Improvement Projects
caution · posted Sep 2, 2026
Conditions of Use Restrictions for the Superior
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
BWCAW Bear Aware Food Storage Order
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Lake County Bridge 38535–New Tomahawk Road Construction Project
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Onion River Bridge on the Superior Hiking Trail Replacement
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Wildfire Emergency Closure Issued for Affected Recreation Sites
critical · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- THOMAS LAKE WINTER TRAILHiking0.1 mi
- SnowbankHiking1.6 mi
- Kekekabic TrailHiking1.7 mi
- Flash-SnowbankHiking2.1 mi
- Snowbank DisappointmentHiking2.1 mi
- Snowbank TrailHiking2.2 mi
- BWCA Entry PointsCanoeing6.6 mi
- Knife RiverCanoeing9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Add to a trip & share
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