Nelson Farm Trail
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 163 ft
- climb
- 871 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–May, Jul–Oct
- best months
Nelson Farm Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in Willow River State Park in Wisconsin, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. The trail is about a mile long and rises about 43 feet from its starting point, with the high point at 871 feet and the low at 823 feet. The climb is gentle, with the steepest stretch at about 5% grade near the start, and the route is an out-and-back. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Stillwater, Minnesota, show January highs around 27°F with lows near 9°F, while February averages about 32°F. The station sits roughly 160 feet lower than the trail, so temperatures on the trail run slightly cooler. White Tail Trail is about 0.8 miles away, and the climbing area at Willow River State Park is about 1.2 miles off. Across the state line in Minnesota, Stillwater Ice (Stillwater) is about 5.8 miles away, and the Kinnickinnic River offers canoeing about 9.6 miles from the trail.
Best time to go · Apr–May, Jul–Oct
Best time to visit Nelson Farm Trail
Best months: April–May 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
27° / 9°
8 wet
Feb
32° / 13°
7 wet
Mar
44° / 25°
8 wet
Apr
60° / 38°
10 wet
May
73° / 50°
12 wet
Jun
81° / 60°
13 wet
Jul
85° / 64°
11 wet
Aug
84° / 62°
9 wet
Sep
76° / 55°
9 wet
Oct
62° / 42°
9 wet
Nov
45° / 28°
7 wet
Dec
32° / 16°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Stillwater 1 Se, MN, 5 mi away at 710 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
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1.37-mile out-and-back trail in Wisconsin with 212 ft of elevation gain.
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0.82-mile out-and-back trail in Wisconsin with 143 ft of elevation gain.
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1.16-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 194 ft of elevation gain.
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0.45-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Wisconsin with 34 ft of elevation gain.
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
