Star Loop
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 55 ft
- climb
- 881 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr, Jul–Oct
- best months
Star Loop is a short, easy cross-country ski route in Hyland Lake Park Reserve, about 0.18 miles long, on land managed by a regional agency in Minnesota. It's an out-and-back that runs from a low point of about 847 feet to a high of about 881 feet, with a total elevation change of 55 feet. The climb is flat, and the steepest part comes at about 0.12 miles from the start, with a grade of about 3 percent. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show January highs around 24°F and lows near 8°F, while February runs about 29°F by day and 11°F at night. The station sits a few dozen feet higher than the trail, so conditions on the loop may run slightly warmer. The surrounding reserve holds several other cross-country ski routes within a short distance. Oak Knob and North Trail are each about 0.4 miles away, Hill Trail is about 0.6 miles away, and Boulder Ridge is about a mile off.
Best time to go · Apr, Jul–Oct
Best time to visit Star Loop
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, 4.8 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
Oak Knob
Next door
0.5-mile out-and-back route at Oak Knob in Minnesota with 85 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Hill Trail
~1 min drive
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
Short Ski Trail
~10 min drive
0.20-mile out-and-back ski trail in Minnesota with 25 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
Boulder Ridge
~2 min drive
0.5-mile out-and-back ski route on Boulder Ridge in Minnesota.
SKI
Bde Maka Ska Lake Trail
~16 min drive
2.88-mile loop at Bde Maka Ska Lake in Minnesota.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
