Whispering Pines Trail

Whispering Pines Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in Minnesota, about 4 miles from the town of Holmes City. The trail is an out-and-back, roughly 0.8 miles long, with a high point of about 1,515 feet and a low of about 1,477 feet. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.34 miles in, and the total elevation gain and loss are each about 49 feet. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Alexandria show January highs around 19°F with lows near 2°F, while February is similar at about 24°F and 6°F. By contrast, July highs reach about 80°F, and May and June bring the most wet days of the year. Chuckwagon Trail lies just 0.1 mile away, and Isaac Shortcut is about 0.3 mile off. Andes Tower Hills, a downhill ski area, is about 0.6 mile from the trail.