Running trails in Plymouth, MN
Plymouth has 14 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 3 shaded. 11 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 3,197 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.
East Medicine Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 786 reviews
Kids and adults like this park, with playground equipment, a lakeshore beach, picnic tables, and trails.
Plymouth Creek Playfield
4.7 ★★★★★ 594 reviews
Large park featuring a playground & a picnic shelter, plus trails & a skate/bike park.
Parkers Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 566 reviews
Lakefront recreation area known for swimming & ice skating, plus trails, picnics & a playground.
West Medicine Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 383 reviews
Lakeside recreation place with a boat launch & beach, plus picnic pavilions, a playground & trails.
Millennium Garden
4.8 ★★★★★ 284 reviews
Gardens at a community center featuring a labyrinth, fountains and waterfalls.
Lake Camelot Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 187 reviews
Park featuring a playground, picnic shelter and walking paths.
Luce Line Trailhead (Plymouth/Vicksburg Lane)
4.6 ★★★★★ 152 reviews
Quiet park featuring bike trails and kid-friendly hiking options.
Timber Shores Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 86 reviews
Playground, baseball field and walking trails at an area designed like a tree.
Mission Hills Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 68 reviews
Park playground featuring slides, swings, monkey bars and a baseball field / diamond.
Heather Ponds Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 50 reviews
Park with picnic tables and a playground, as well as basketball.
Maple Creek Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 19 reviews
Northwest Greenway
4.5 ★★★★★ 14 reviews
Medicine Lake
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Plymouth
- Match the surface to your legs. Plymouth gives you a choice: 2 mixed, 1 paved, and 1 boardwalk. 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? 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. 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. 11 of the 14 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 6 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 5 have a water fountain in Plymouth. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 1 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 Plymouth trails by type
Running trails near Plymouth
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.