Lost Forty Hiking Interp.

0.8 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 34563 · trail class 3 · typical grade 0-5% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 47.7669, -94.0858 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Lost 40 the Forest Service's write-up

season January to December

Flyer and Trail Map | Driving Directions

Experience the forest of yesteryear at the Lost 40. Minnesota was one of the largest timber-producing states in the country in the late 1800s, but 144 acres of red and white pines went untouched by loggers when a surveying error mapped the area as part of Coddington Lake. The survey crew's error in 1882, became one of Minnesota's greatest treasures. Today, less than two percent of Minnesota's forested land contains old growth timber. The Lost 40 pines are 300-400 years old, originating when the pilgrims came to America. The trees remain as remnants of the natural resources that drew people to new frontiers and shaping America’s character. A one-mile, self-guided trail winds its way through the towering pines of the Lost 40.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Chippewa National Forest

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.

Lost Forty Hiking Interp.

Lost 40 the Forest Service's write-up

About this trail's facts