Running trails in La Crosse, WI

How to pick a trail in La Crosse

• Match the surface to your legs. La Crosse gives you a choice: 4 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? 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. The longest stated distance in La Crosse is Great River State Trail at 24 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
• 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. 13 of the 20 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. 7 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in La Crosse. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, and 4 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 La Crosse trails by type

• Paved trails (4 in La Crosse)
• Natural surface trails (1 in La Crosse)
• Loop trails (1 in La Crosse)
• Long-run trails (5+ mi) (1 in La Crosse)
• Lit for early & night runs (1 in La Crosse)
• Flat & fast (1 in La Crosse)
• Hilly trails (2 in La Crosse)
• Scenic trails (14 in La Crosse)
• Trails with restrooms (6 in La Crosse)
• Trails with water fountains (3 in La Crosse)
• Trailhead parking (7 in La Crosse)
• Trails with mile markers (1 in La Crosse)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (3 in La Crosse)
• Dog-friendly (4 in La Crosse)

Running trails near La Crosse

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in Onalaska, WI (7 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in West Salem, WI (1 · 10 mi)
• Running trails in Holmen, WI (7 · 11 mi)
• Running trails in Bangor, WI (1 · 14 mi)
• Running trails in Viroqua, WI (1 · 19 mi)
• Running trails in Trempealeau, WI (1 · 19 mi)
• Running trails in Westby, WI (1 · 22 mi)
• Running trails in Winona, MN (8 · 27 mi)