Schutz Lake–Lake Virginia, 5 lakes
14.7 mi · ▲ 135 ft · 4 hr 58 min
Schutz Lake–Lake Virginia, 5 lakes is a 14.7-mile out-and-back in Freeman Park near Eureka, MN. The route passes Lake Virginia, Tamarack Lake and Schutz Lake before reaching Lake Jonathan at the turnaround, 7.3 miles in. It is mostly level, with 135 ft of elevation gain, and mostly paved. It scores 1/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Schutz Lake–Lake Virginia, 5 lakes
14.7 mi · ▲ 135 ft · 4 hr 58 min
Elevation 932–1,035 ft
Out & Back · Freeman Park
Trailhead: 44.89244, -93.60672
Weather Sep 23: Overcast, high 70°F / low 48° · precip 0% · wind 10 mph · sunrise 7:03 AM · sunset 7:12 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading N.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading NW.
- 350 ftBear left, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail, heading SW.
- 1 miPass Lake Virginia.
- 0.9 miPass Tamarack Lake.
- 0.3 miPass Schutz Lake.
- 0.5 miTurn left, heading W.
- 1 miTurn right, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading S.
- 0.6 miTurn right, heading E.
- 1.9 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 300 ftBear left, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading E.
- 200 ftBear left, heading E.
- 450 ftTurn left onto Tom Thumb Loop, heading NE.
- 50 ftPass Lake Jonathan.
- 500 ftReach Schutz Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading N.
- 450 ftBear right, heading NE.
- 200 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading S.
- 300 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 1.9 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 0.6 miTurn left, heading W.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 1 miTurn right onto Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail, heading N.
- 2.7 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.3 miBear right, heading NE.
- 350 ftBear right, heading NE.
- 250 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 4.5 mi in (~111 min). Leave by 5:01 PM for the 7:12 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:17 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from this trailhead
- Lake Virginia via Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail 3.2 mi · ▲ 26 ft
- Crescent Beach via Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail 2.5 mi · ▲ 26 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Eureka, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Eureka, Minnesota