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Hiking trails & Routes

Gigantic Glacial Erratic – Big Sand Creek Bridge loop from Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Hiking trails & Routes

Gigantic Glacial Erratic – Big Sand Creek Bridge loop from Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Moderate

5.0

(1165)

14,124

hikers

Gigantic Glacial Erratic – Big Sand Creek Bridge loop from Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

04:12

16.4km

60m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

Last updated: August 5, 2026

Waypoints

A

Start point

1

961 m

Gigantic Glacial Erratic

Highlight • Natural Monument

This is a huge glacial erratic which, when viewed from one angle, looks like a Bison, and when viewed from another, looks like a Right Whale.

Tip by

2

3.58 km

Jab's Farm and the Former Sand Creek Crossing

Highlight • Historical Site

Years ago, high water broke the crossing here, and they have yet to replace it. Used to be a nice short loop. The farmstead is one of my favorite places for coming to the swamp.

Tip by

3

6.46 km

Minnesota River Campsites

Highlight • Rest Area

There are 2 campsites here for either boat use or trail users.

Tip by

4

9.89 km

Big Sand Creek Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

This bridge got washed away once during high water, they have really built it back up nice now.

Tip by

5

11.0 km

Oak Savanna and Tallgrass Prairie

Highlight • Natural

The oak savanna at Louisville Swamp is one of Minnesota's rarest and most distinctive wildlife habitats, defined by a blend of prairie grasses, wildflowers, and widely spaced Bur Oak trees. …

Tip by

6

13.0 km

Ehmiller Site

Highlight • Historical Site

Old farmstead's sandstone foundation remains

Tip by

7

13.9 km

Sand Creek Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

One of the many bridges in this park

Tip by

8

14.6 km

Bridge over an Unnamed Waterway

Highlight • Bridge

Another bridge, nice to have these as highlights so you can see where you are at and what you'll be coming to.

Tip by

B

16.4 km

End point

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

15.1 km

934 m

361 m

Surfaces

16.1 km

266 m

< 100 m

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Elevation

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Weather

Powered by Foreca

Today

Tuesday 13 October

17°C

10°C

16 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 16.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

November 1, 2025,Hike at Louisville Swamp

A lot of great river and woods views today on my hike. Been wanting to get back here for a long time, this is a classic hike for me around Holloween.

December 3, 2023,Hike on the Minnesota Valley Loop at Louisville Swamp 2023-12-03

This is hike #29 on our virtual hiking tour of The Thames Path, which you can follow at komoot.com/collection/2457863/-virtual-hiking-tour-of-the-thames-path. Here is a link to our komoot collection of all the Virtual Hikes we have completed so far: komoot.com/collection/1791712/-collection-of-virtual-hiking-tours.

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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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