Running trails in Moorhead, MN
Moorhead has 11 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 2 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 9 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 1,235 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.
Gooseberry Mound Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 616 reviews
Relaxed park offering picnic shelters, kids' play areas & trails for walking & cross-country skiing.
Woodlawn Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 251 reviews
River-side open space with basketball courts, trails and a playground.
MB Johnson Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 105 reviews
Kid-friendly spot with picnic tables, a playground, trails, and a shelter with a kitchen, plus a boat launch.
Original Homestead Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 65 reviews
Tranquil park featuring a playground, plus nature trails, a river and the historic Bergquist cabin built in 1871.
W.H. Davy-Memorial Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 54 reviews
Riverside outdoor space for gatherings, featuring a playground as well as basketball and horseshoe courts.
Riverfront Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 37 reviews
Southside Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 34 reviews
Daily Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 9 reviews
Trails at Stonemill Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Moorhead
- Match the surface to your legs. Moorhead gives you a choice: 2 mixed and 1 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Moorhead are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Moorhead. 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, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 2 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 Moorhead trails by type
Running trails near Moorhead
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.