Running trails in Maple Grove, MN

How to pick a trail in Maple Grove

• Match the surface to your legs. Maple Grove gives you a choice: 2 paved, 2 mixed, 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? 2 trails here are loops, 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 Maple Grove is Central Park of Maple Grove at 83 mi. 2 trails are 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. 13 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
• Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 5 have a water fountain in Maple Grove. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 6 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 Maple Grove trails by type

• Paved trails (2 in Maple Grove)
• Mixed trails (2 in Maple Grove)
• Natural surface trails (1 in Maple Grove)
• Loop trails (2 in Maple Grove)
• Long-run trails (5+ mi) (2 in Maple Grove)
• Shaded trails (2 in Maple Grove)
• Lit for early & night runs (1 in Maple Grove)
• Flat & fast (2 in Maple Grove)
• Hilly trails (1 in Maple Grove)
• Scenic trails (7 in Maple Grove)
• Trails with restrooms (7 in Maple Grove)
• Trails with water fountains (5 in Maple Grove)
• Trailhead parking (10 in Maple Grove)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (5 in Maple Grove)
• Dog-friendly (6 in Maple Grove)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (1 in Maple Grove)

Running trails near Maple Grove

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in Plymouth, MN (14 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in Brooklyn Park, MN (13 · 6 mi)
• Running trails in Champlin, MN (4 · 6 mi)
• Running trails in Dayton, MN (1 · 6 mi)
• Running trails in New Hope, MN (1 · 7 mi)
• Running trails in Brooklyn Center, MN (6 · 7 mi)
• Running trails in Crystal, MN (2 · 7 mi)
• Running trails in Robbinsdale, MN (5 · 8 mi)