Whispering Pines Trail
- 0.3 mi
- round trip
- 80 ft
- climb
- 1,526 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Whispering Pines Trail is a cross-country skiing route in Minnesota, about 4.4 miles from the town of Holmes City. It is a short, moderate outing, with a total length of about half a mile and a total elevation gain and loss of about 80 feet each. The high point is about 1526 feet, and the low point about 1494 feet, with the steepest grade of about 4% near the start. Winter is the natural season for skiing here. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Alexandria, about 11.5 miles away, show January highs around 19°F with lows near 2°F, while March runs about 37°F by day and 19°F at night. The station sits a little lower than the trail, so temperatures on the higher ground may run slightly cooler. Chuckwagon Trail is about 0.3 miles away and Isaac Shortcut about 0.6 miles. Andes Tower Hills, a downhill ski area, is about 0.9 miles off.
Best time to go · May–Oct
Best time to visit Whispering Pines Trail
Best months: May–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
19° / 2°
4 wet
Feb
24° / 6°
4 wet
Mar
37° / 19°
6 wet
Apr
52° / 33°
9 wet
May
66° / 45°
12 wet
Jun
76° / 56°
12 wet
Jul
80° / 61°
11 wet
Aug
78° / 59°
10 wet
Sep
70° / 50°
9 wet
Oct
55° / 37°
8 wet
Nov
38° / 23°
5 wet
Dec
24° / 10°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Alexandria Muni Ap, MN, 11.5 mi away at 1,416 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
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