Photo by Phil Zumsteg
During the winter months, snowshoes are available to rent so visitors can explore winter trails and find the best moon-viewing spots before warming up around a bonfire and roasting a marshmallow. Beverages will be available for guests to purchase. Please note these events are held rain or shine!
Accessibility
Please note that routes for Full Moon Hikes aren’t always on paved paths or wheelchair accessible. However, we are more than willing to talk through options and make accommodations if possible. Accessible parking is available per special request. Please reach out to [email protected] to discuss accessibility options for you and/or your guest(s).
Upcoming Full Moon Hikes
Full Snow Moon Hike | 6-9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1
Hike under the Full Snow Moon during this special after-hours event. February’s full moon is known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February according to the Farmers’ Almanac.
Dr. Brian Smoliak with Weathervane Labs will present on snowfall in Minnesota.
Full Sugar Maple Moon Hike | 7-10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3
The March Full Moon is called the Sugar Maple Moon, as this is typically the time when maple tree sap is flowing. Attendees will learn how the Arboretum collects maple sap and boils it down to sweet syrup and sugar. Warm up by a warm fire and listen to stories of spring!
Visitors will gather in the Frog Hollow parking lot and enjoy a tealight-lit hike/snowshoe route on Wood Duck Trail. In other activities, Horticulture staff will demonstrate the syrup-making process. Storyteller Theodore Marcil of Mashkiki Studios, an Afro Indigenous-owned creative studio and apothecary in Minneapolis, will tell stories rooted in Ojibwe seasonal teachings. The stories focus on the maple sugar season and what this moon represents.
Full Pink Moon Hike | 8-10 p.m. on Thursday, April 2
Enjoy a self-guided evening hike at the Arboretum while basking in the glow of the Full Pink Moon. April’s full moon is named for the pink moss phlox that begins to bloom in April in other parts of the county – though moss phlox typically blooms in May in Minnesota. In honor of the pink moon, a hiking path around Green Heron Pond will be lit with pink up lights, illuminating the surrounding landscape.