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Moderate Hiking Trails in Minnesota

The directory currently contains 20 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Minnesota. Their average mapped distance is 7.1 km and average recorded ascent is 123 m (404 ft); the longest route in the set is 16.1 km.

This subset represents 33% of the 61 quality-checked routes in Minnesota. Its average distance is 7.1 km, compared with 40.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 123 m (404 ft), versus 187 m (614 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is rated moderate by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. Technical terrain and live conditions are not part of that rating. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 2 (10%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

2.4 km

High Falls Trail - East

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Long Meadow Lake Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
10.5 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
185 m
Typical duration
2 hr 28 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest
View from Hawk Ridge, Duluth, MN
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
256 m
Typical duration
1 hr 32 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.1 mi
Typical duration
1 hr 43 min
  • Lake
  • Alpine meadow
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
161 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Waterfall
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
166 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
96 m
Typical duration
24 min
Historic Sugar Loaf Brewery Building with Sugar Loaf Bluff rising behind it in Winona, Minnesota.
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
133 m
Typical duration
25 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
99 m
Typical duration
1 hr 14 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
102 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
13.3 km
/ 8.3 mi
Elevation gain
111 m
Typical duration
2 hr 57 min
  • Forest
Grand Portage National Monument Boardwalk over Beaver Pond Swamp approximately following the original portage trail between Grand Portage on Lake Superior and Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River.
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
13.5 km
/ 8.4 mi
Elevation gain
87 m
Typical duration
2 hr 57 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
11.2 km
/ 7.0 mi
Elevation gain
249 m
Typical duration
2 hr 42 min
  • River
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
87 m
Typical duration
1 hr 41 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • River
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.8 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
1 hr 45 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
119 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
Moderate

Minnesota · United States

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
1 hr 38 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Superior Hiking Trail Cascade LoopMinnesota12.1 km379 m3 hr 5 minModerateApril to October
Brule Lake TrailMinnesota10.5 km185 m2 hr 28 minModerateApril to October
Hawk Ridge TrailsMinnesota5.5 km256 m1 hr 32 minModerateApril to October
Long Meadow Lake TrailMinnesota8.3 km0 m1 hr 43 minModerateApril to October
Minneapolis Skyway SystemMinnesota16.1 km0 m3 hr 24 minModerateApril to October
High Falls Trail - EastMinnesota2.4 km161 m44 minModerateApril to October
Eagle Mountain TrailMinnesota5.2 km166 m1 hr 20 minModerateApril to October
Mount Rose TrailMinnesota1.2 km96 m24 minModerateApril to October
Sugar Loaf TrailMinnesota1.0 km133 m25 minModerateApril to October
Winchell TrailMinnesota5.2 km99 m1 hr 14 minModerateApril to October

Superior Hiking Trail Cascade Loop, Brule Lake Trail, Hawk Ridge Trails currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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