Running trails in Bemidji, MN
Bemidji has 7 trails in the directory — 2 open 24 hours. 4 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 1,441 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.
Diamond Point Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 448 reviews
Green space on Lake Bemidji with picnic areas & walking paths, plus a playground & boat launch.
Mississippi Headwaters State Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 401 reviews
8,500 acres of public forestland & 95 lakes & ponds for hiking, boating & swimming.
Buena Vista State Forest
4.5 ★★★★★ 228 reviews
Large natural area with lake access, campsites & trails, plus space for winter activities & hunting.
Bemidji City Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 215 reviews
Large park featuring a softball complex & disc golf, plus cross-country ski trails & ice rinks.
Three Island Lake County Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 126 reviews
Scenic park with trails to walk, ski and swim alongside or above a creek. Picnic tables and rapids are featured.
North country park
4.7 ★★★★★ 22 reviews
Fern Lake Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bemidji
- Match the surface to your legs. 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.
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Bemidji are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Bemidji. 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 Bemidji trails by type
Running trails near Bemidji
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.