Blue Hill Trail
Photo: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 5.2 mi
- round trip
- 383 ft
- climb
- 1,081 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Blue Hill Trail is a 10.4-mile out-and-back hike on Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The trail rises from about 991 feet to a high point of 1,081 feet, with the steepest stretch at about 4 miles in, where the grade reaches 8 percent. The total elevation gain is 104 feet, so the climb is gentle overall. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 81°F with lows near 59°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. Several short loops sit close by. Beaver Lodge Loop Trail and Black Bear Loop Trail are each about 0.7 miles away, and Old School House Loop Trail is about 0.8 miles away. Santiago Fishing Access Trail is about 5 miles off.
Beaver Lodge Loop TrailHikingPhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.7 mi
Black Bear Loop TrailHikingPhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.7 mi
Old School House Loop TrailHikingPhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.8 mi
Woodland TrailHikingPhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)1.1 mi- Santiago Fishing Access TrailHiking5 mi
- Great Northern TrailMountain biking9.2 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Beaver Lodge Loop TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
West River Parkway TrailHiking · ~1h 20m drivePhoto: bjwhite66212, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Black Bear Loop TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Lone Lake Mountain Bike TrailHiking · ~1h 14m drive
- Old School House Loop TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Woodland TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
North Mississippi Park trailsHiking · ~1h 5m drivePhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Woodlands LoopHiking · ~1h 13m drivePhoto: controltheweb from US, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Lake TrailHiking · ~1h 14m drivePhoto: controltheweb from US, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Grand Rounds National Scenic BywayHiking · ~1h 20m drivePhoto: Nick Ortloff from Minneapolis, MN, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Blue Hill Trail
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
22° / 4°
5 wet
Feb
27° / 8°
5 wet
Mar
40° / 21°
6 wet
Apr
56° / 33°
9 wet
May
69° / 45°
10 wet
Jun
77° / 55°
10 wet
Jul
81° / 59°
9 wet
Aug
79° / 57°
9 wet
Sep
72° / 49°
8 wet
Oct
57° / 36°
8 wet
Nov
40° / 24°
6 wet
Dec
27° / 11°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santiago 3 E, MN, 4.1 mi away at 1,010 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Route details
- Distance
- 5.2 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 383 ft
- Summit
- 1,090 ft
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- About 2 hours
Questions about this route
How long is the Blue Hill Trail on Blue Hill?
About 5.2 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Blue Hill Trail?
About 383 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Blue Hill Trail?
It is rated moderate.
How long does the Blue Hill Trail take?
About 2 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on Blue Hill
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
