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Running trails in West Fargo, ND
West Fargo has 7 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt and 1 shaded. 5 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 661 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.
Elmwood Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 297 reviews
Park with ball fields and a playground, equipped for picnics.
Maplewood Park & Activity Center
4.8 ★★★★★ 183 reviews
Park with a playground, picnic area, adult obstacle course, and facilities for children with disabilities.
Dakota Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 66 reviews
Park offering a playground, slides and pickleball courts, plus a picnic area.
River's Bend Activity Center
4.6 ★★★★★ 61 reviews
Beautiful park with a playground and musical instruments, plus a pond.
Elmwood (South) Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in West Fargo
- Match the surface to your legs. West Fargo gives you a choice: 1 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? 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. 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. 5 of the 7 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 3 have a water fountain in West Fargo. 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 and 2 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 West Fargo trails by type
Running trails near West Fargo
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.