Purple Loop
- 3.0 mi
- round trip
- 673 ft
- climb
- 1,170 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Oct
- best months
Purple Loop is a 3-mile cross-country ski route in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr, a unit of the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources. The loop is an out-and-back, and the round trip runs about 6 miles with a total elevation gain of about 100 feet, which makes it a moderate ski route. The route rises to a high point of about 1,170 feet from a low point of about 1,048 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at around 1.1 miles, with a grade of about 9 percent. Winter is the natural season for cross-country skiing here. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show January highs around 26°F and lows near 12°F, with snow on about seven days that month. Snow days drop to about four in March, and by November the snow has returned. That station sits several hundred feet lower than the loop, so temperatures on the trail run a little cooler. The Green Loop ski route is just 0.1 mile away. The Red Loop hike and the Purple Trail hike are both within a mile. Farther out, the Parnell Tower Trail is about 2.6 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Expedition Supply32 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Oct
Best time to visit Purple Loop
Best months: June–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
26° / 12°
9 wet · 7 snow
Feb
30° / 14°
8 wet · 6 snow
Mar
41° / 24°
9 wet · 4 snow
Apr
53° / 34°
11 wet · 1 snow
May
66° / 45°
13 wet
Jun
76° / 55°
12 wet
Jul
81° / 60°
11 wet
Aug
79° / 59°
10 wet
Sep
72° / 51°
10 wet
Oct
58° / 39°
10 wet
Nov
44° / 29°
9 wet · 2 snow
Dec
32° / 18°
9 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Plymouth Wwtp, WI, 7.2 mi away at 828 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
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Yellow Trail
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1.71-mile out-and-back route in Wisconsin with 191 ft of elevation gain.
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Fox Hill Ski Area
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
