Oak Knob
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 97 ft
- climb
- 890 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr, Jul–Oct
- best months
Oak Knob is a short, moderate cross-country ski route in Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Minnesota, set on Regional Agency Land. The climb is a one-mile out-and-back that gains about 97 feet from the start at 859 feet to a high of 890 feet before returning to the same level, with the steepest stretch at about 0.45 miles. Winter is the natural season for skiing here. Typical averages from the nearby Flying Cloud airport weather station put January highs around 24°F and lows near 8°F, with February only slightly warmer. Late fall and early spring are colder, with November and March highs in the low to mid 40s. The route sits within a network of trails. Star Loop is about 0.2 miles away, North Trail and Hill Trail are each about 0.4 miles off, and Boulder Ridge is roughly 0.9 miles away.
Best time to go · Apr, Jul–Oct
Best time to visit Oak Knob
Best months: April and July–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° / 8°
6 wet
Feb
29° / 11°
6 wet
Mar
42° / 24°
8 wet
Apr
57° / 37°
11 wet
May
70° / 49°
13 wet
Jun
79° / 59°
13 wet
Jul
84° / 64°
10 wet
Aug
81° / 62°
10 wet
Sep
74° / 53°
10 wet
Oct
59° / 40°
9 wet
Nov
43° / 27°
7 wet
Dec
29° / 14°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mpls Flying Cloud Ap, MN, 5.2 mi away at 907 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
Photo: Baseball Bugs, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Buck Hill
~14 min drive
SKI
Star Loop
Next door
0.10-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Minnesota with 10 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
North Trail
Next door
North Trail is a 1.27-mile out-and-back route in Minnesota with 166 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Hill Trail
Next door
0.71-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 112 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Luce Line Regional Trail
~20 min drive
0.12-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 43 ft of elevation gain.
SEE
Hyland Hills Ski Area
~2 min drive
Hyland Hills Ski Area in Minnesota has 7 lifts and 11 runs with 3 easy, 5 intermediate, and 3 advanced options.
SKI
Star Loop
Next door
0.18-mile out-and-back ski out-and-back in Minnesota with 29 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Osprey Trail
~2 min drive
0.10-mile out-and-back trail in Minnesota with 20 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Boulder Ridge
~2 min drive
0.5-mile out-and-back ski route on Boulder Ridge in Minnesota.
SKI
Long Ski Trail
~8 min drive
0.70-mile out-and-back ski trail in Minnesota with 80 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
