Running trails in Oshkosh, WI
Oshkosh has 14 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt and 2 open 24 hours. 10 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 2,358 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.
Menominee Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,032 reviews
Lakefront park featuring a zoo, two playgrounds and boat launches.
South Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 881 reviews
Park featuring a playground, picnic areas, splash pad, ponds, basketball and tennis courts, and a paved trail.
Asylum Point Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 123 reviews
Park offering lake views, picnic areas, kid-friendly hiking trails, and a lighthouse.
Tribal Heritage Crossing Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 93 reviews
Paved, wheelchair-accessible trail for pedestrians, cyclists and fishermen alike, with informational plaques and river views.
Sawyer Creek Nature Trail And Oak Savanah Forest
4.3 ★★★★☆ 27 reviews
Ames Point
4.9 ★★★★★ 14 reviews
Sawyer Creek Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 15 reviews
Oshkosh Riverwalk
4.5 ★★★★★ 10 reviews
Sheldon Nature Area
4.4 ★★★★☆ 8 reviews
Akan Acres Park
4 ★★★★☆ 8 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Oshkosh
- Match the surface to your legs. Oshkosh gives you a choice: 2 paved, 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 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. 2 trails in Oshkosh are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 10 of the 14 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. 12 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Oshkosh. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 that runners describe as quiet, 3 dog-friendly, and 11 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 Oshkosh trails by type
Running trails near Oshkosh
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.