Running trails in Savage, MN
Savage has 9 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,692 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.
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 798 reviews
This mostly undeveloped area with multi-use trails is popular for bird watching & mountain biking.
Savage Community Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 497 reviews
Picturesque 53-acre park featuring a sports complex, environmental learning center, trails & a pond.
McCann Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 142 reviews
Clean, family-friendly space showcasing baseball, soccer and basketball courts amid playgrounds.
O'Connell Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 97 reviews
Recreation area with a baseball field, tennis court, basketball court, playground, and picnic areas.
Hidden Valley Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 75 reviews
Wooded recreational area with paved and less-groomed paths for hiking. Features include a playground, swings, slides, an archery range and a picnic shelter.
Savage Fen Scientific & Natural Area
4.2 ★★★★☆ 40 reviews
Kid-friendly nature preserve featuring trails.
Loftus Park
4 ★★★★☆ 21 reviews
Glendale Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 13 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Savage
- Match the surface to your legs. Savage gives you a choice: 2 paved 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 Savage is Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve at 21.4 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Savage is 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 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Savage. 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, 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Savage trails by type
Running trails near Savage
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.