20 Best Hikes in Minnesota: The Top-Rated Hiking Trails to Visit in 2023
Trent Jonas
Author
Minnesota is an incredible state for hiking. With trails that range from rugged footpaths along the bluffs that march up the North Shore of Lake Superior to fairly level trails across the wide western prairies – and everything in between – you’ll find no shortage of Minnesota hiking trails. In curating this list of some of the best hikes in Minnesota, we used writer and reader experiences, as well as the extremely helpful reviews and tools available on AllTrails+ (try AllTrails+ for free and see for yourself!).
Because of the concentration of state parks, national park units, and national forests in the region – and, consequently, literally thousands of miles of trails – most folks’ favorite trails turned out to be in northern Minnesota. However, we did our best to include trails in other regions of the state, as well, so most folks should be able to hit one of these awesome spots for hiking in Minnesota without too much travel time.
Without further ado, here are our picks for the 20 best hikes in Minnesota.
Best Hikes in Minnesota
These are trails that are overall favorites among hikers in Minnesota. Not unsurprisingly, all but one of them are located along the North Shore of Lake Superior. But one thing these four best hiking trails in Minnesota have in common is that they traverse some of the most scenic terrain in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
- Location: Silver Bay
- Mileage: 6.9 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- FYI: Parking at this trailhead is limited; try going on a weekday to avoid the crowds.
Located adjacent to - but not in - Tettegouche State Park, the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop is a challenging segment of the Superior Hiking Trail. You'll find the trailhead just outside of Silver Bay. In addition to SHT through hikers, and day-trippers looking for a getaway, this extremely popular 6.9-mile hike attracts folks who are willing to put in a little effort to get the perfect Instagrammable shot of the two lakes lined up.
- Location: Two Harbors
- Mileage: 3.0 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate
- FYI: If you park in the day-use area, you will not need a Minnesota State Parks pass to access this trail.
This scenic loop is located entirely within Gooseberry Falls State Park, one of the most visited in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. With multiple cascades along the way, it’s one of the best waterfall hikes in Minnesota. This trail is easy to moderately challenging, due to some occasionally rough trail conditions, but you won’t encounter the types of elevation changes on this hike that you will on other North Shore trails.
- Location: Luverne
- Mileage: 4.1 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: You will need a Minnesota State Parks pass to access this trail.
The Mound Loop Trail combines the Mound Trail with the Lower Cliffline Trail to form a 4.1-mile loop atop the Sioux quartzite outcropping that gives Blue Mounds State Park its name. This easy loop traverses both tallgrass prairie and the park’s wooded ridge line.
- Location: Beaver Bay
- Mileage: 5.6 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: Park at the trailhead along Hwy. 61 - not in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, itself. You do not need a state parks pass to park at the trailhead.
This is another popular hiking trail that starts in a state park near Lake Superior and climbs to the Superior Hiking Trail. On this loop trail, hikers will encounter 656 feet of elevation gain as they trace the Split Rock River to the stone monolith from which it gets its name.
Best Short & Easy Hikes in Minnesota
The best hiking trails in Minnesota are not all multi-milers that require an entire day. In fact, there are several short and easy hikes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that offer the same types of payoffs in terms of scenery and natural beauty that you might expect to find on a longer trail. Here are a few of our favorites.
- Location: Taylors Falls
- Mileage: 2.3 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: If you park at the day-use area, you will not need a state parks pass.
Tracing the top of the St. Croix River gorge on the Minnesota side of Interstate State Park, the Walter F. Mondale River Trail offers a lot of rewards in terms of scenery and geologic history for relatively little effort. Minnesota shares this stretch of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway - a national park unit - with Wisconsin.
- Location: Winton
- Mileage: 1 mile
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: Look for the trailhead sign about five miles east of Ely on Fernberg Rd.
This short loop trail near Ely offers an awesome payoff for a relatively easy hike. You will encounter a few rocks and roots along the way, so watch your footing, but you’ll be within view of gorgeous Kawishiwi Falls before you know it.
- Location: Plainview
- Mileage: 1.9 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: You will need a Minnesota State Parks pass to access this trail.
Carley State Park is one of the least visited in the state, often overshadowed by neighboring Whitewater State Park. Its Hiking Club Trail offers an awesome walk in Minnesota’s Big Woods any time of year. However, if you go in late April or early May, this trail explodes with bluebells and other spring wildflowers.
Hardest Hikes in Minnesota
The Superior National Forest is home to some of the most challenging, as well as some of the best places to hike in Minnesota. Three of the four difficult hikes we’ve included on this list are located in the forest. Although longer footpaths, like the Border Route Trail or the entirety of the Superior Hiking Trail, are not included here, you could certainly break a few of these hikes up into segments. The Kekekabic, for instance, will most certainly require at least one overnight on the trail.
- Location: Lutsen
- Mileage: 16.9 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- FYI: Leave a vehicle or arrange a ride from Lutsen if you prefer not to hike out and back.
At almost 17 miles, this segment of the Superior Hiking Trail covers some of the SHT’s toughest terrain - and some of its prettiest. The Oberg Mountain Loop, which is part of this hike, is considered one of the state’s most scenic trails. The hike may be long, but sweeping views of Lake Superior, the Superior National Forest, and the Sawtooth Mountains will lighten your steps. Plus, you can stop for a beer at Lutsen before you hike back to the trailhead. You may also consider backpacking along this scenic trail - there are designated SHT campsites on the route - and taking your time as you hike. For sheer beauty, this is easily one of the best hikes in Minnesota.
- Location: Finland
- Mileage: 15.4 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- FYI: Although this is an out-and-back hike as described, it can be done point-to-point with a second vehicle or an arranged pickup. You will not need a park pass if you park at the Caribou Falls wayside and start from there.
This challenging hike starts near the shore of Lake Superior and takes you up into the highlands above the lake. Along the way, you’ll encounter waterfalls, enter George H. Crosby Manitou State Park, one of the state’s handful of wilderness parks, and hike along the Superior Hiking Trail. By the time you return to the trailhead, you’ll be glad to be done - but happy you did it.
- Location: Ely
- Mileage: 38.6 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- FYI: There are no amenities or exits along this trail. Forward and back are the only options. You will need a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permit, obtainable from Recreation.gov, to hike the Kekekabic Trail.
The Kek, as this trail is called, runs between Snowbank Lake near Ely and the Gunflint Trail. Coming in at around 40 miles, this is arguably the most challenging trail in Minnesota, because if you get halfway through, there’s no way to stop except for hiking out the rest of the way or going back the way you came. That’s one of the reasons relatively few people attempt this remote trail through Boundary Waters. But those who do are rewarded with gorgeous scenery and a true North Woods wilderness experience, with lakes, wetlands, portages over beaver dams, waterfalls, and deep forests. If you intend to hike the entire length of the trail, you'll be backpacking, so plan on - and pack for - at least one (and more realistically, two or three) nights camping on the trail.
- Location: Mount Vernon
- Mileage: 0.7 mile
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: Do this trail on a leg day.
The Riverview Trail at John Latsch State Park is short - less than a mile out and back. But in that nominal distance, you will gain more than 450 feet of elevation. This includes walking up 592 stairs. But the reward, in the form of bluff-top vistas up and down the Mississippi River valley from the top of Mt. Charity. This bluff is one of the highest points along the river - and the panoramic views may well be worth the burning thighs and sore knees.
Best Waterfront Hikes in Minnesota
With thousands of miles of shoreline to choose from in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, picking just a few waterfront hikes for this list was a monumental task. So, we tapped some trails that feature some of Minnesota’s most iconic bodies of water, or a combination of them, to give hikers a good representation of what can be found in the Land of Sky Blue Waters.
- Location: Shevlin
- Mileage: 2.1 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: You will need a Minnesota State Parks pass to access this trail.
Located within Itasca State Park, the oldest and second-largest park in the system, the lakeside Schoolcraft Trail traces the shoreline of Lake Itasca from the headwaters of the Mississippi River. You'll enjoy beautiful views over the pristine lake as you hike along the shore and through majestic pine forests. Before or after your hike, you can wade and splash around in the small stream that becomes the mightiest river in North America.
- Location: Schroeder
- Mileage: 3.3 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: You will not need a Minnesota State Parks permit if you park along Hwy. 61.
The Temperance River Falls Loop is a moderately challenging scramble along the eponymous river in Temperance River State Park. The trail follows the river's scenic gorge - one of the most unique and beautiful in the state - and connects with the Superior Hiking Trail before looping back down the wooded ridge to the trailhead. After your hike, cool off at the pebble beach where the Temperance River flows into Lake Superior, just a few hundred yards downstream of the trailhead.
- Location: Afton
- Mileage: 3.8 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: You will need a Minnesota State Parks pass to access this trail.
The North River Trail Loop is one of the best hikes at Afton State Park. This 3.8-mile hike will take you down through the forested river bluff to the sandy banks of the wide St. Croix River. There, you can relax and enjoy the beach for a while before heading back up the bluff to the trailhead.
Best Winter Hikes in Minnesota
To paraphrase an old Scandinavian adage, there’s no such thing as bad weather – just bad gear. And we certainly adhere to that here in the Bold North where winter takes up an inordinate chunk of our calendar. Whether on snowshoes or cross-country skis, or simply out there slogging through the snow in our mukluks, we Minnesotans don’t let cold weather keep us inside. So, for those who need a little inspiration, here are our picks for the best hikes in Minnesota to take during the winter months.
- Location: Golden Valley
- Mileage: 1.4 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: If you plan to cross-country ski, you'll need a trail pass to do so at Theodore Worth and any other Minneapolis park.
This trail is located in the heart of the Twin Cities metro area. As its name implies, the Wirth Lake Loop is a trail around the shoreline of Wirth Lake. In winter, this trail is part of the network of groomed cross-country ski trails that snake through Theodore Wirth Regional Park.
- Location: Waite Park
- Mileage: 1.3 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: You will need a vehicle pass, which can be purchased from Stearns County, to enter Quarry Park.
This short but sweet loop within Stearns County's largest park and nature area is a great way to spend a winter day. The fact that it's best known as a summer swimming hole means that you won't have to share the woods and groomed multi-use trail with many other people when you visit during the colder months.
- Location: Ely
- Mileage: 3.4 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: You will need to self-issue a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permit at the South Hegman Lake entry point kiosk before heading out on this trail.
In the winter, this 3.4-mile route is not really an official trail. It's just the path folks choose as they hike, ski, or snowshoe out onto the frozen lake to see its famous pictographs. In the summer, this route can only be paddled, so winter presents a unique opportunity for those who prefer to use their feet to visit the pictograph site.
Best Hikes near Minneapolis – St. Paul
Roughly 60 percent of the state’s population lives in and around the Twin Cities, so we’d be remiss not to include the best hikes in Minnesota near the metro. Like the rest of the state, the Twin Cities is blessed with considerable natural beauty – even in its most urban areas. Here are a few of our favorite places to escape from city life for a few minutes.
- Location: Eagan
- Mileage: 2.1 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: There is no entrance fee to access hiking trails in Lebanon Hills Regional Park. Cross-country skiers must pay a fee.
The Jensen Lake Trail is a 2.1-mile hike around the largest lake in Eagan's Lebanon Hills Regional Park. The trail is easy, with a wide path and segments of boardwalk over marshier areas. Be sure to hang around and enjoy all the amenities the park has to offer once you're through with your hike.
- Location: St. Paul
- Mileage: 1.3 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Easy
- FYI: Avoid this park when Mississippi River levels are high.
This easy riverfront trail in St. Paul is the perfect place to stretch your legs on a summer day. The trail is wide, flat, and shaded by the bottomland forest. It affords views across the Mississippi to the Minnesota River and Pike Island, and, as the name implies, when stream levels are sufficient, there's a small waterfall to explore.
- Location: Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Mileage: 5.6 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- FYI: If you park along one of the streets to enter the park, be sure to pay attention to time limits and posted signs in the area.
Easily the most urban hike on this list, the Mississippi Gorge Loop Trail loops around a segment of the Mississippi River in the Mississippi Gorge Regional Park. One half of the trail is in Minneapolis and the other is in St. Paul. At times, you’ll know you’re in the city - especially crossing over the river on the Lake Street and Ford Parkway bridges - but at others, you’ll feel a world away. Minnehaha Creek and its falls enter the Mississippi on the Minneapolis side, just south of the Ford Parkway bridge. So, you may want to set aside some time to explore the park. If you're feeling even more energetic, mosey down to Fort Snelling State Park, just south of Minnehaha Falls Regional Park, where the Minnesota River joins the Mississippi.
Clearly, although this is a list of some of the best hikes in Minnesota, it certainly does not include all of them. We hope you’ll suggest some that we’ve missed or let us know whether you agree or disagree with the trails that we’ve included here.
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More to Explore
Best Hikes In Minnesota
Does Minnesota have good hiking trails?
With five national park units, two national forests, two national scenic trails, three federally-designated wilderness areas, and more than 80 state parks, waysides, and recreation areas, there are many well-maintained hiking trails in Minnesota.
What are the best months to hike in Minnesota?
Generally speaking, Minnesotans hike year round, but the best months to hike in Minnesota tend to be early fall - September and October - when the weather is not too warm (or cold), and mosquitoes are not as thick. Check out these suggestions for hiking by season in Minnesota:
- Winter hiking trails in Minnesota (Banning State Park deserves a special mention in this category)
- Spring hiking trails in Minnesota
- Summer hiking trails in Minnesota
- Fall hiking trails in Minnesota (Tettegouche State Park gets a shoutout in this category)