Running trails in Hudson, WI
Hudson has 11 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, 2 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 7 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 6,608 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.
Willow River State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 4,381 reviews
3,000-acre riverside park encompassing Little Falls Lake with a waterfall, swimming & canoeing.
Lakefront Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,066 reviews
City-run park hosting a calendar of outdoor concerts as well as having 7-day summer lifeguard cover.
Birkmose Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 354 reviews
Low-key park known for its tranquil atmosphere & elevated views of the river & valley.
Grandview Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 262 reviews
Recreational area with a playground, picnic tables, and facilities for softball, baseball, and dogs.
Weitkamp Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 242 reviews
Clean park with a playground and a slide, as well as a sledding hill.
Prospect Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 168 reviews
Wooded picnic-table park featuring a playground, an overlook and a pavilion with fireplace and barbecue facilities.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Hudson
- Match the surface to your legs. Hudson gives you a choice: 1 natural surface and 1 mixed. 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 natural surface 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 Hudson is Willow River Mountain Biking Trailhead at 45 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 Hudson is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Hudson. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 dog-friendly. 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 Hudson trails by type
Running trails near Hudson
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.