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Running trails in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis has 33 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 7 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 28 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 22,602 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.
Minnehaha Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 11,113 reviews
This 193-acre riverfront park has miles of trails & a waterfall celebrated in a Longfellow poem.
Lake Nokomis Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,022 reviews
Popular park providing sailing, paddlesport rentals, concessions, a community center & playground.
Lake of the Isles Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,992 reviews
Path-lined park offers areas for ice skating, canoeing & picnicking, plus an off-leash dog park.
North Mississippi Regional Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,225 reviews
River, woods & prairie grounds features diverse wildlife, trails, a big playground & a fishing pier.
Lyndale Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 996 reviews
Quiet nature hub with 4 themed gardens showcases roses, perennials & plants that attract wildlife.
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 787 reviews
Natural 8-acre riverside park named after a Franciscan priest with trails, bridges & city views.
Mississippi Gorge Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 664 reviews
Prairie area scattered with oak trees & offering biking & hiking trails, picnic shelters & fishing.
Victory Memorial Parkway
4.7 ★★★★★ 595 reviews
Park featuring a biking trail and statue area, plus graves of WWII soldiers.
Quaking Bog
4.7 ★★★★★ 292 reviews
Boardwalks, bridges and floating paths lead through a lush, wooded bog, plus trails for hiking and biking, this park of the Minneapolis chain is home to a variety of plants and wildlife.
Bredesen Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 255 reviews
Nature & wildlife reserve with walking & biking paths weaving through creeks, marshland & ponds.
Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 243 reviews
Park featuring a stone arch bridge, trails, and downtown views, plus fireworks displays.
Winchell Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 195 reviews
Dirt-path trail connecting to the Minneapolis trail system running alongside the Mississippi River.
Deming Heights Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 150 reviews
Relaxed park featuring winding footpaths and benches as well as picnic tables.
Shingle Creek Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 103 reviews
Recreational park with trails, picnic tables, and space for kids and dogs.
Minnehaha Falls Lower Glen Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 93 reviews
Scenic wilderness with walking paths, a waterfall and picnic spots.
Brownie Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 94 reviews
Popular lake near the Cedar-Isles-Makaska chain with a beach and hiking trails.
Shingle Creek Falls in Webber Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 88 reviews
Picnic tables and playground at a park, also featuring a waterfall that's part of walking trails along a creek.
First Bridge Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 83 reviews
Park featuring a river, walking, biking, and opportunities to learn about history.
Ramsdell Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 80 reviews
Park-like area offering a playground (for older kids) and picnic tables, plus a shallow pool.
Bass Lake Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 77 reviews
A community gathering spot & green space with pickleball courts, a playground & a sun shelter.
Mississippi Walking Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Riverside green space featuring a paved path and dirt trails, popular for walking and dog-walking.
Loring Greenway
4.6 ★★★★★ 39 reviews
This functional city pedestrian path offers water features, public art, trees & a playground.
Ryan Lake Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 27 reviews
Taft Lake Walking Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
East River Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
Minneapolis Micro Trail
5 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
Burnham Woods
4.4 ★★★★☆ 10 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Minneapolis
- Match the surface to your legs. Minneapolis gives you a choice: 13 mixed, 7 natural surface, and 3 paved. 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 Minneapolis is Minnehaha Creek Greenway at 1.5 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Minneapolis are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 28 of the 33 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 21 have trailhead parking, 12 have restrooms, and 19 have a water fountain in Minneapolis. 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, 10 that runners describe as quiet, 20 dog-friendly, and 7 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 Minneapolis trails by type
Running trails near Minneapolis
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.