Vadnais - Snail Lakes Regional Park
Lake Owasso–Grass Lake, 6 lakes
14.6 mi · ▲ 297 ft · 5 hr 1 min
Lake Owasso–Grass Lake, 6 lakes is a 14.6-mile out-and-back in Vadnais - Snail Lakes Regional Park near Gem Lake, MN. The route passes Birch Lake, Gilfillan Lake, Grass Lake and 2 more before reaching Lake Owasso at the turnaround, 7.2 miles in. It climbs 297 ft and is mostly paved. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Lake Owasso–Grass Lake, 6 lakes
14.6 mi · ▲ 297 ft · 5 hr 1 min
Elevation 883–979 ft
Out & Back · Vadnais - Snail Lakes Regional Park
Trailhead: 45.07820, -93.03859
Weather Sep 22: sunrise 7:00 AM · sunset 7:12 PM
Transit-accessible: Birch Lake Blvd S stop 399 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading N.
- 150 ftPass Birch Lake.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 2.1 miPass Gilfillan Lake.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.8 miTurn left, heading S.
- 150 ftSharp right, heading S.
- 50 ftBear left, heading S.
- 350 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 1 miTurn right, heading W.
- 0.3 miPass Grass Lake.
- 0.5 miTurn right, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 0.4 miSharp left, heading NW.
- 50 ftSharp right, heading NW.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 400 ftBear left, heading NW.
- 0.3 miPass Island Lake.
- 1.4 miPass Lake Wabasso.
- 50 ftPass Lake Owasso.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading SE.
- 200 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 50 ftReach Lake Owasso, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 200 ftBear right, heading E.
- 1.9 miBear right, heading N.
- 400 ftTurn right, heading N.
- 100 ftSharp left, heading N.
- 50 ftSharp right, heading N.
- 0.4 miTurn right, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 0.8 miTurn left, heading E.
- 1 miTurn left, heading E.
- 350 ftBear right, heading E.
- 50 ftSharp left, heading E.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 0.8 miTurn right, heading N.
- 2.3 miTurn right, heading E.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 5.8 mi in (~144 min). Leave by 4:28 PM for the 7:12 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:50 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Transit-accessible: Birch Lake Blvd S stop 399 m from the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from this trailhead
- Birch Lake–Gilfillan Lake, 4 lakes 8.2 mi · ▲ 82 ft
- East Vadnais Lake–Birch Lake, 3 lakes 8.8 mi · ▲ 135 ft
- Mark Sather Trail 4.7 mi · ▲ 0 ft
- Otter Lake–Birch Lake, 7 lakes 6.8 mi · ▲ 0 ft
Get outside more
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Hikes near Gem Lake, Minnesota