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Running trails in Brooklyn Park, MN
Brooklyn Park has 13 trails in the directory — 5 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 11 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 3,440 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.
Mississippi Gateway Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,828 reviews
Scenic expanse of the Mississippi River with a dam & observation deck, picnic areas & hiking trails.
Central Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 534 reviews
A wide variety of sports facilities from disc golf to hockey, plus a playground & a picnic pavilion.
Brookdale Park & Dog Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 272 reviews
Sprawling dog park featuring ponds, a baseball field, plus a playground, picnic tables and walking trails.
Northwoods Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 263 reviews
Baseball fields and football fields share this recreation space with an inclusive playground.
Willowstone Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 123 reviews
Park with swings, slides and picnic tables, plus a castle-themed playground.
Rush Creek Regional Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 90 reviews
Clean trail and recreation area, as well as an area for picnics.
River Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Park featuring playgrounds and a basketball court for outdoor sports.
Edinbrook Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 24 reviews
Tessman Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 22 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Brooklyn Park
- Match the surface to your legs. Brooklyn Park gives you a choice: 5 paved, 2 natural surface, and 1 mixed. 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Brooklyn Park is Mississippi Gateway Regional Park at 7.8 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Brooklyn Park are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Brooklyn Park. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Brooklyn Park trails by type
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Brooklyn Park
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.