Winter Recreation
Blue Mound State Park
With numerous opportunities for winter recreation, Blue Mound State Park is a popular destination year-round.
Sledding
Blue Mound State Park has a hill for sledding, just west of the cross-country ski trailhead in the pool parking lot.
Snowshoeing
Hiking and snowshoeing are allowed anywhere in the park except on cross-country ski trails. A designated snowshoe trail with a 0.75-mile loop and a 3-mile loop has its trailhead on the east side of the pool parking lot.
Cross-country skiing
More than 10 miles of meticulously groomed and tracked trails wind through peaceful rolling fields and mature oak-hickory forests. All trails are tracked for classical skiing when snow depth and conditions allow. In low snow conditions, all the trails are groomed for skating.
The trails at Blue Mound vary from beginner to more advanced and can be reached from the trailhead at the pool parking lot. A state trail pass is required of all skiers aged 16 and over (in addition to the vehicle admission sticker). John Minix, Pleasure Valley, Willow Springs, Flintrock and Ridgeview (in order from easiest to most difficult) are groomed for skiing when conditions permit.
Cross-country Ski Trail Conditions
Cross-country skiing trails
John Minix trail
Named for the previous owner of the park, John Minix, this 1-mile loop offers a gentle meandering jaunt through a dense hardwood forest. It is our easiest trail.
Pleasure Valley bike trail
A rolling 1-mile trail will take you through a peaceful sugar maple forest and a wide range of plant life in an open prairie. The Pleasure Valley Trail is groomed for both traditional and diagonal skiers in winter.
Ridgeview trail
Along the south border of the park near the Military Ridge State Trail. It offers spectacular views of the surrounding area with easy access from the campground. The trail has moderate to steep hills and is not recommended for the novice skier.
Walnut Hollow trail
A half-mile extension of the Ridgeview Trail, this short trail takes you through a stand of Black Walnut trees before emerging back into the prairie.
Willow Springs trail
A 2-mile trail that winds through a mixed hardwood forest and passes a stand of willow trees and a spring that flows year-round. Years ago, Native Americans and early settlers used this spring as a reliable water source.