Homestead Trail
- 1.8 mi
- round trip
- 263 ft
- climb
- 1,627 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Homestead Trail is a 3.6-mile out-and-back cross-country ski route in Iron County Forest in northern Wisconsin, on county land. The trail runs between a low point of 1,583 feet and a high of 1,627 feet, with the steepest stretch at about the 1-mile mark, where the grade reaches 7 percent. The one-way climb is 33 feet, so the round trip adds up to about 66 feet. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from the nearby Rest Lake weather station show January highs around 20°F and lows near 0°F, with snow on about eight days that month. By April, highs reach about 50°F and snow days drop to two. The trail makes a good base for linking other ski routes in the area. Spruce Hills Trail is about 0.1 mile away, Moose Loop is 0.2 mile away and Fox Cutoff is 0.3 mile away, with Wolf Loop about 0.7 mile off.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Homestead Trail
Best months: May–September. 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
20° / 0°
10 wet · 8 snow
Feb
25° / 3°
8 wet · 6 snow
Mar
37° / 13°
8 wet · 5 snow
Apr
50° / 27°
9 wet · 2 snow
May
65° / 41°
11 wet
Jun
74° / 51°
11 wet
Jul
78° / 54°
11 wet
Aug
76° / 53°
10 wet
Sep
67° / 45°
11 wet
Oct
53° / 33°
12 wet · 1 snow
Nov
37° / 21°
10 wet · 5 snow
Dec
25° / 9°
10 wet · 8 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Rest Lake, WI, 9.1 mi away at 1,612 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
SKI
Spruce Hills Trail
Next door
0.94-mile out-and-back trail in Wisconsin with 79 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Moose Loop
Next door
2.29-mile loop in Wisconsin with 308 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Fox Cutoff
Next door
0.12-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 28 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
ST Q-U
~16 min drive
0.31-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 75 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Wolf Loop
~1 min drive
Wolf Loop is a 1.12-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 104 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Warm-Up Loop
~1 min drive
0.26-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Wisconsin with 70 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
ST A-T
~16 min drive
0.47-mile out-and-back ski route in Wisconsin with 73 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Osprey Loop
~2 min drive
1.40-mile loop with 248 ft elevation gain in Wisconsin.
SKI
Bluebid Trail
~2 min drive
0.62-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 76 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
ST S-R
~17 min drive
0.14-mile out-and-back ski route in Wisconsin with 33 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
