Running trails in Novi, MI
Novi has 15 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 2 with a stated distance. 7 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,764 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Lakeshore Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,175 reviews
Local park features swimming, a playground, seasonal concession stand & access to ski & bike trails.
Scenic Overlook #2
4.7 ★★★★★ 231 reviews
Park featuring a lake for fishing, plus a playground and picnic area.
Novi Tree Farm
4.8 ★★★★★ 100 reviews
Mountain bike park with a pump track, crater jump spot, and variety of other features.
Wildlife Woods Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 95 reviews
Picnic destination and recreation area offering pickleball courts and a playground.
Lakeshore MTB Trailhead (North)
4.7 ★★★★★ 79 reviews
Area popular with mountain bikers featuring trails suitable for beginners and intermediate riders.
Tollgate Farm Hiking Trails
4.3 ★★★★☆ 10 reviews
Adell Bridge and Walking Trail
2.9 ★★★☆☆ 7 reviews
Lakeshore Park Mountain Bike Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Nature Trail & Bridge
3.5 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
Ella Mae Power Park Hiking Trails
3.7 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews
ITC Corridor Regional Trailhead (North)
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Fox Run Hiking Trails
3 ★★★☆☆ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Novi
- Match the surface to your legs. Novi gives you a choice: 3 natural surface and 1 paved. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 2 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Novi is Novi Tree Farm at 10 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 7 of the 15 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking and 5 have restrooms in Novi. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 1 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Novi trails by type
Running trails near Novi
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.