Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Blue Hill Trail

I've hiked this trail in all seasons and in all moods - regardless of how I set out, I always find peace and a sense of joy when walking here. It is a place of restful views and quiet noises, of breeze and color. The sense of scale is just right - big enough so that you feel part of something larger, but intimate enough that you don't feel insignificant.

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The calls of birds change through the year, as do the sounds of reptiles and insects. It is never silent - even in the dead of winter there is the rustle of the wind through the sparse trees and prairie grass, and the caw of the crow and hoot of the owl.

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I've found much in this place. I hope the same for you.

Approach

From the junction of Interstate Highways 169 and 10 south of Elk River Minnesota, head north on 169 14.8 miles to County Rd. 9.

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Take the County 9 exit, and at the top turn left and head west 6.5 miles to the Blue Hill Trail parking lot on your right.

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Coordinates for the hike: 45.4944900,-93.7130400

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Parking / Trailhead amenities

The parking lot is smooth and paved and has room for about 10 cars. There is a clean pit toilet and a map board with brochures and trail guides adjacent to the parking lot.

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Trail observations

The trail is a lollipop with a very short shared trail and a largish loop. The trail alternates between scrubby brush and wide open prairie for the first four miles, then the trail enters a pine forest for a ways, then climbs and descends Blue Hill through a dense forest.

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The trail is wide and easy to follow everywhere but on Blue Hill. There it is narrow and overgrown, though it's still easy to follow because the surrounding understory of the forest is too dense to push through off of the trail.

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There are two overlooks along the trail - one at Buck Lake, complete with a pair of telescopes that have given me very nice close up images of swans, and another overlook at the top of Blue Hill. Midsummer the view from the hill is largely blocked by the leaves of the trees, but during the late fall, winter, and spring the views are magnificent!

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Trail statistics

The trail is 4.90 miles long. The sum of all the uphill climbs is 144 feet.

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Trail waypoints

0.12 mi	Trailhead	Trailhead
0.22 mi	Branch right	Branch - stay right
0.53 mi	Bench	Bench
0.91 mi	Go right	Branch - go right after crossing the bridge (map, bench)
1.16 mi	Bench	Bench
1.55 mi	Go left	Branch - stay left
1.56 mi	Stay right	Branch - stay right (map)
2.23 mi	Bench	Bench
2.58 mi	Bench	Bench
2.82 mi	Stay right	Branch - stay right (map)
2.86 mi	Stay left	Branch - stay left
2.96 mi	Go right	Branch - stay right (map)
3.13 mi	Side trail	Side trail - go right, then return
3.16 mi	Overlook	Buck Lake overlook (bench, telescope, platform)
3.39 mi	Bench	Bench
3.54 mi	Right to pines	Branch - go right and enter the pines
3.96 mi	Stay left	Branch - stay left to go straight on sand road
4.00 mi	Go right	Branch - go right on grass path
4.20 mi	Right up hill	Branch - go right and climb Blue Hill
4.26 mi	Go right	Go right to the overlook, then return here and take the other branch
4.31 mi	Overlook	Overlook - retrace and head to the parking lot
4.47 mi	Tee right	Tee - go right
4.90 mi	End of trail	End of trail