Running trails in Maplewood, MN
Maplewood has 14 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 2 open 24 hours. 13 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 4,246 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.
Battle Creek Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,404 reviews
Busy park offering a summer aquatic center, pavilion, playground, off-leash dog area & paved trails.
Battle Creek Upper Afton
4.6 ★★★★★ 433 reviews
This sizable greenspace features picnicking, walking trails, an off-leash dog park & play areas.
Wakefield Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 442 reviews
Neighborhood park featuring an ice rink, playgrounds, picnic spots and a lake with walking paths and grills.
Maplewood Nature Center
4.6 ★★★★★ 305 reviews
Nature preserve with scenic trails, a boardwalk, and pond, plus a public restroom.
Goodrich Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 169 reviews
Kids' playland featuring baseball fields and picnic tables as well as slides and swings.
Hazelwood Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 155 reviews
Relaxed open space for kids and adults alike, with a playground, picnic tables and a soccer field.
Harvest Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 136 reviews
Park with walking paths and playgrounds, plus a basketball court and some tennis courts.
Vista Hills
4.3 ★★★★☆ 67 reviews
Relaxed space with a playground and courts for basketball and tennis.
Gateway Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 33 reviews
Paved, clean path for biking, walking and jogging, offering peaceful views.
Applewood Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 24 reviews
Bruce Vento Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Maplewood
- Match the surface to your legs. Maplewood gives you a choice: 4 paved, 1 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Maplewood are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 14 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. 7 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Maplewood. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 that runners describe as quiet, 4 dog-friendly, and 5 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 Maplewood trails by type
Running trails near Maplewood
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.