Black Sands
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 202 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- May, Jul–Sep
- best months
Black Sands is a short, steep mountain biking route in northern Minnesota, about 2.5 miles from the town of Beaver Bay. The ride is an out-and-back of roughly 0.3 miles, with a total climb of about 200 feet. The steepest part comes early, at about 0.09 miles in, with a grade of 7 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run to highs around 76°F in July and 74°F in August, with lows in the mid-50s. Winters are cold, with January highs near 19°F. Several other mountain biking routes sit close by, including Mail Route and Picea, each about 0.3 miles away, and Otm at about half a mile. For paddling, the Beaver River is about 3 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Sawtooth Outfitters33 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May, Jul–Sep
Best time to visit Black Sands
Best months: May and July–September. 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
19° / 1°
10 wet
Feb
24° / 3°
8 wet
Mar
35° / 15°
9 wet
Apr
46° / 28°
9 wet
May
59° / 40°
12 wet
Jun
70° / 49°
13 wet
Jul
76° / 54°
12 wet
Aug
74° / 53°
12 wet
Sep
65° / 46°
12 wet
Oct
51° / 34°
11 wet
Nov
36° / 21°
10 wet
Dec
24° / 9°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Wolf Ridge Elc, MN, 15.7 mi away at 1,400 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive
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Picea
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0.20-mile moderate singletrack out-and-back in Minnesota with 54 ft elevation gain.
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Fade to Blue
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4.44-mile hard singletrack in Minnesota with 658 ft elevation gain.
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Hwy 61
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Cross/ Wringer Bike Loop
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4.49-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 176 ft of elevation gain.
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Mail Route
Next door
3.25-mile out-and-back singletrack in Minnesota with 392 ft gain.
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Over Cove
~2 min drive
0.86-mile hard singletrack in Minnesota with 192 ft elevation gain.
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Rufus
~3 min drive
1.34-mile easy out-and-back singletrack in Minnesota with 55 ft of elevation gain.
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Crosscut Bike
~58 min drive
1.66-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 101 ft elevation gain.
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Otm
Next door
0.70-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 12 ft elevation gain.
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Wellworth it
~2 min drive
2.08-mile out-and-back singletrack in Minnesota with 307 ft elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
