Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Frog Swamp & Birch Pond via North Creek Greenway

16 mi · ▲ 491 ft · 5 hr 35 min

Frog Swamp & Birch Pond via North Creek Greenway is a 16-mile out-and-back in Lebanon Hills Regional Park near Mendota Heights, MN. The route passes Frog Swamp and Birch Pond before reaching Frog Swamp at the turnaround, 8 miles in. It climbs 491 ft and is mostly paved. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi853 – 978 ft17.0 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 44.84805, -93.13616
Nearest town Mendota Heights, MN

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Frog Swamp & Birch Pond via North Creek Greenway

16 mi · ▲ 491 ft · 5 hr 35 min

Elevation 854–978 ft

Out & Back · Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Trailhead: 44.84805, -93.13616

Weather Sep 24: sunrise 7:03 AM · sunset 7:08 PM

Transit-accessible: Dodd Rd stop 662 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading W.
  2. 0.5 miTurn left, heading SW.
  3. 50 ftTurn right, heading W.
  4. 1 miTurn left, heading W.
  5. 0.6 miTurn right, heading S.
  6. 0.4 miTurn right, heading S.
  7. 0.1 miTurn left, heading W.
  8. 500 ftTurn left, heading W.
  9. 0.1 miTurn right, heading E.
  10. 0.5 miTurn right, heading SE.
  11. 50 ftTurn left, heading SE.
  12. 250 ftTurn right, heading E.
  13. 1.5 miTurn right, heading S.
  14. 0.8 miBear left, heading W.
  15. 1.1 miTurn right, heading S.
  16. 100 ftTurn left, heading S.
  17. 0.5 miContinue straight onto North Creek Greenway, heading S.
  18. 0.5 miPass Frog Swamp.
  19. 0.2 miPass Birch Pond.
  20. 0.1 miReach Frog Swamp, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  21. 1.3 miTurn right, heading N.
  22. 100 ftTurn left, heading N.
  23. 1.1 miBear right, heading NE.
  24. 0.8 miTurn left, heading E.
  25. 1.5 miTurn left, heading N.
  26. 250 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  27. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  28. 0.5 miTurn left, heading W.
  29. 0.1 miTurn right, heading NW.
  30. 450 ftTurn right, heading N.
  31. 0.1 miTurn left, heading N.
  32. 0.4 miTurn left, heading N.
  33. 0.6 miTurn right, heading E.
  34. 1 miTurn left, heading E.
  35. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  36. 0.2 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

97% paved3% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 7:03 AMSunset 7:08 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.1 mi in (~80 min). Leave by 5:28 PM for the 7:08 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:42 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Transit-accessible: Dodd Rd stop 662 m from the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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