Fern Lake Trail

Fern Lake Trail is a short, flat cross-country ski route in northern Minnesota, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. The trail is an out-and-back, about 0.38 miles long, with a high point of 1,382 feet and a low of 1,367 feet. The climb is nearly flat, with a total gain and loss of 17 feet each, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.05 miles from the start. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from the nearby Cass Lake weather station show January highs around 18°F with lows near -4°F, while February runs a little milder at about 24°F. The station sits a few hundred feet lower than the trail, so temperatures on the route may run slightly cooler. The Gold XC Trail lies about 3.4 miles away, and the Montebello Trail is about 5.2 miles off. For a change of pace, the Mississippi River offers canoeing roughly 7.2 miles from the trail.