Nature reserve · Minnesota

Birch Lakes State Forest

Birch Lakes State Forest from directly overhead

Birch Lakes State Forest is a nature reserve in Minnesota, at a modelled elevation of 407 m. The nearest named place is Lake Sylvia Wayside, a park 1.5 miles away. Glacial Ridge Trail Scenic Byway passes 8.7 miles off. 2 named summits stand within 25 miles.

Visiting

What to expect

Operated by: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Official site

Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directions Plan a drive around it

Coordinates45.76487, -94.77500

8.7 mi off the Glacial Ridge Trail Scenic Byway
20.2 mi off the Great River Road, National

Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Nature reserves

Ritter Wildlife Management Area: 2.5 mi
Grey Eagle Wildlife Management Area: 5.0 mi
Ostendorff Wildlife Management Area: 5.4 mi
Elgin Woods Wildlife Management Area: 5.4 mi
Buckhorn Lake Wildlife Management Area: 5.6 mi

Parks51

Lake Sylvia Wayside: 1.5 mi
St Rosa Park: 3.9 mi
Sauk River Park: 6.2 mi
Jaycee Park: 6.5 mi
Utility Plant Park: 6.5 mi

Museums5

Melrose Area Museum: 6.6 mi
Todd County Museum: 15.0 mi
Christie House Museum: 15.1 mi
Charles A Weyerhaeuser Museum: 22.7 mi
Minnesota Fishing Museum: 24.3 mi

Peaks2

Eagle Mountain: 6.3 mi
The Mound: 6.8 mi

Rest areas2

Big Spunk Lake Rest Stop: 17.9 mi
Middle Spunk Rest Stop: 18.1 mi

Beaches2

Avon Beach: 18.7 mi
Saint John's Beach: 22.5 mi

Artworks2

Clock: 19.5 mi
Giant Crow Statue: 24.9 mi

Attractions2

Saint John's Pottery Studio: 22.3 mi
Maple Sugar Shack: 23.1 mi

Historic sites1

Stone Gate: 22.7 mi

Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

Date	Sunrise	Golden hour	Sunset
March equinox	07:23	18:52	19:32
June solstice	05:30	20:27	21:13
September equinox	07:07	18:39	19:19
December solstice	07:58	15:48	16:38

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg °F	10	14	27	42	56	67	70	68	59	45	30	17
Precip in	0.7	0.7	1.4	2.6	3.6	4.2	4.3	3.8	2.8	2.8	1.2	0.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Melrose, 6 mi away.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMap Official site

OpenStreetMap element way/859403169

More nature reserves in Minnesota

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Plan a drive More nature reserves

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Birch Lakes State Forest.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.