Running trails in Hopkins, MN
Hopkins has 8 trails in the directory — 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,148 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.
Burnes Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 360 reviews
Basic neighborhood recreation area with a playground, plus a baseball field & tennis courts.
Big Willow Park, Minnetonka
4.6 ★★★★★ 350 reviews
Paved dirt trails run through this natural area and woodland with baseball and soccer fields.
Valley Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 161 reviews
Peaceful, dog-friendly park, complete with a playground and basketball courts.
Central Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 139 reviews
Vast green space featuring tennis courts, ballfields and a playground, as well as walking paths and picnic tables.
Cottageville Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 128 reviews
Clean park featuring a playground for kids and basketball court, along with barbecue grills for picnics.
Minnehaha Creek Preserve - Town of Hopkins
4.6 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
The cottonwood
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
South Hopkins Meadow Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Hopkins
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is mixed (1 of 8). 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 mixed 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 Hopkins is Valley Park at 9 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Hopkins is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 8 of the 8 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Hopkins. 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 and 3 dog-friendly. 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 Hopkins trails by type
Running trails near Hopkins
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.