Northern Lights Trail
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 41 ft
- climb
- 923 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Northern Lights Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in Elm Creek Park Reserve in Minnesota, on land managed by a regional agency. The trail is an out-and-back of about half a mile, with a total elevation gain of about 40 feet. It starts at roughly 900 feet and reaches a high point of about 920 feet, with the steepest stretch at about 3% grade near the start. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show January highs around 24°F and lows near 7°F, while February runs about 29°F by day and 11°F at night. Spring warms quickly, with May highs near 70°F. Valley Trail lies about 0.4 miles away, and Monarch Trail is about 1.1 miles off. For a change of pace, Coon Creek offers canoeing about 7.4 miles away, and the Walking and biking path is about 6.4 miles away.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit Northern Lights 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
24° / 7°
Feb
29° / 11°
Mar
42° / 23°
Apr
57° / 35°
May
70° / 47°
Jun
79° / 58°
Jul
83° / 62°
Aug
81° / 60°
Sep
73° / 52°
Oct
58° / 38°
Nov
42° / 26°
Dec
29° / 13°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mpls Crystal Ap, MN, 6.8 mi away at 861 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
SKI
Northern Lights Trail
Next door
0.85-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 86 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Valley Trail
~1 min drive
0.36-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 63 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Judy Loop
~19 min drive
Judy Loop is a short out-and-back ski route in Minnesota covering 0.79 miles with 142 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Medicine Trail
~15 min drive
0.30-mile out-and-back route in Minnesota with 16 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Blue Loop
~14 min drive
Blue Loop is a 1.72-mile out-and-back route in Minnesota with 75 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Valley Trail
~1 min drive
0.13-mile out-and-back route in Minnesota with 27 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Judy Loop
~19 min drive
0.61-mile out-and-back ski trail in Minnesota with 126 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Green Loop
~14 min drive
0.99-mile out-and-back ski out-and-back in Minnesota with 62 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Valley Trail
~1 min drive
0.51-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 68 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
The North Finger
~20 min drive
0.25-mile loop in Minnesota with 65 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
