Winter snow trails in MN?

Hey All, I know MN doesn't have much dirt off road trails. Are there any snow winter trails near mpls area to off-road in when snow arrives? If you can share the location, that would be great.

Thanks!

 

I think many become off limits prior to snow arriving that are open in late spring/summer/early fall. Check DNR site.

 

There is no real offroading within an hour near the cities unfortunately but nice thing about Winter is, even boring gravel & groomed dirt roads in the Summer are usually fun with some snow. If you are on facebook, join the "Softroaders MN" group. If you've got a few bucks for some charity in December, they do an annual group cruise through the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area near Forest Lake prior to heading over to a "Toys for Tots" donation center. Of course you can go check out the Carlos Avery WMA out yourself. The group also usually does group runs through Spider Lake (Foot Hills State Forest) and Apple Valley Farms (nearby in Wisconsin) in the Winter as well.

Also check out the "Minnesota Adventure Trails" group routes.

The closest offroad park is "Mille Lacs County OHV Park". It just opened last year and is still constantly undergoing new updates and is good for 1.5-2 hours minimum to go through the full loop. Small park with easy trails but mud and snow can make it interesting.

For any of the Minnesota offroad parks mentioned (not the Carlos Avery WMA & Apple Valley Farms), you will need to have your DNR OHV registration tabs from your local DMV office. Costs around $30 and is good for 3 years.