Running trails in Faribault, MN
Faribault has 17 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 14 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 1,799 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.
North Alexander Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 559 reviews
Shady playground-equipped park featuring baseball fields, volleyball nets and picnic shelters.
River Bend Nature Center
4.8 ★★★★★ 404 reviews
Nonprofit, 743-acre center since 1978 with year-round events, interpretive programs & nature trails.
White Sands Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 150 reviews
Recreational area with trails, a pond and a swimming area for dogs.
Teepee Tonka Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 151 reviews
Picnic tables, a river and archery range can be found at this spacious park with mature trees, hiking trails and a tunnel.
Shager County Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 142 reviews
Park featuring a beach, picnic facilities, and a playground, plus a boat launch.
Caron Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 128 reviews
Casual park offering waterfalls, hiking trails, woods and a river.
Cannon River Wilderness Area
4.5 ★★★★★ 103 reviews
Hills and camp sites feature in this woodland site with trails, some of which link to an oak savanna.
Trail's Edge Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 29 reviews
Two Rivers Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 29 reviews
Straight River Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
Prairie Ridge Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 17 reviews
Spring Greenway Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 15 reviews
River Trails Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
Falls Creek County Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
Fleckenstein Bluffs Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Faribault
- Match the surface to your legs. Faribault gives you a choice: 1 paved 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Faribault is River Bend Nature Center at 10 mi. 1 trail is 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. 14 of the 17 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Faribault. 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, 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 3 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 Faribault trails by type
Running trails near Faribault
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.