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Running trails in Detroit Lakes, MN
Detroit Lakes has 5 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 1 open 24 hours. 3 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 849 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.
Dunton Locks County Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 381 reviews
Scenic park offering paved and unpaved paths for biking and hiking and also featuring a boat lift.
Detroit Lakes City Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 349 reviews
Popular park, for disc golf or casual strolls at the playground and at picnic tables by the beach.
Greater Sucker Creek
4.6 ★★★★★ 79 reviews
Tranquil woods boasting scenic trails for strolling and biking, plus dog-friendly accommodations.
North Country Trail / CR-35 trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Detroit Lakes
- Match the surface to your legs. Detroit Lakes gives you a choice: 2 paved and 1 natural surface. 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Detroit Lakes is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 3 of the 5 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Detroit Lakes. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Detroit Lakes trails by type
Running trails near Detroit Lakes
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.