Top Places To Enjoy the Outdoors in the Twin Cities Metro Area

Top Places To Enjoy the Outdoors in the Twin Cities Metro Area

By Korey Walz – NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Other than our homes going outside is the one of the other places that we are allowed to go to during this stay at home order. This should be taken advantage of! Remember that state parks remain open (with reduced services, for day use only, vehicle permits are still required).

Here are in our opinion the top places to go for running, hiking, and biking that are easy to get to for Twin Cites and greater metro area residents:

Theodore Wirth Regional Park

Location: Golden Valley

Theodore Wirth Regional Park is a 759-acre park and the largest park in the Minneapolis area. This destination is perfect for trail runners with 20 miles of trails to run and can be completed in about 3 hours. This park also has 21 biking trails perfect for those looking to bike in the area as well. Additional amenities outside include two golf courses, Wirth Lake, and a birch pond. This area is fun for exploring the many trails and would be a great place to spend time outdoors.

Afton State Park

Location: Hastings

Afton is a state park that sits right on the St. Croix River. Afton State park is perfect for biking, running, and hiking with 8 trails amounting to around 20 miles of worth of trails making it a nice spot in nature that is off the beaten path and a bit out of the cities for a good workout. Afton State Park is also a place where people go to camp, have a picnic, or bird watch. So if you are looking for something recreational to do Afton State Park is a great place to explore.

Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Location: Eagan

Lebanon Hills Regional Park is a 1,869-acre park and the largest in Dakota County in Minnesota. Lebanon is a great place for running, hiking, and biking with 20 miles worth of running and hiking trails and 11 miles worth of mountain biking trails making Lebanon Hills a place to get a good workout in and experience the views and sights the park has to offer. The park contains forests, grasslands, marshes, and wetlands, which is awesome for viewing wildlife. Common activities other than hiking and biking are bird watching, camping, and having picnics so definitely a great place to go to on a warm day.

Elm Creek Park Reserve

Location: Maple Grove

Elm Creek Park Reserve is a park with 4900 acres and a great place for hiking, running, biking, and mountain biking. Elm Creek Park Reserve has 19 miles of paved running and biking trails and 13 miles worth of mountain biking trails making it a great destination to explore. Other things included Elm Creek Park Reserve are a nature center, disc golf course, camping spots making it a cool destination to go out and explore.

Minnehaha Regional Park

Location: Minneapolis

Minnehaha Regional Park is a 170-acre park that preserves historic sites that represent pioneering, transportation, and architectural themes. This destination is ideal for hiking, running, and biking with 5 miles of running and biking trails with 10 miles of dirt trails for hiking. A highlight of the park is to go and see the Minnehaha falls waterfall made famous by the poem The Song of the Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. So this park can be used for a good workout or to explore the many landmarks located within.

Fort Snelling State Park

Location: Saint Paul

Fort Snelling State Park is a 2,931-acre park containing the historic Fort Snelling from 1820. This park is perfect for running, and biking with 18 miles of running trails and 5 miles of paved biking trails and 10 miles of gravel biking trails. Other amenities at Fort Snelling State Park are a visitors center, two playgrounds, and a 9-hole golf course. A perfect destination for a workout or recreational activity!

The Midtown Greenway

Location: East-West Lake Street, Minneapolis

The Midtown Greenway is a trail that has two single lane bike paths and one single lane-walking path. The Midtown Greenway starts on Lake Street, crosses between Lake Calhoun and the Lake of the Isles, and ends at West River Parkway. The total distance of the Midtown Greenway is 5.5 miles, which makes it a super trail right in the heart of the city for a workout whether you are running or biking.

Photo Credit:

https://www.exploreminnesota.com/profile/theodore-wirth-regional-park/1900

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/81f70a86c65941378850ca37361e7ad7

https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/minnesota/afton-state-park

https://fitt.co/twin-cities/places/lebanon-hills-regional-park

https://twincitiesoutdoors.com/hiking-in-lebanon-hills-regional-park/

https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/blog/locals-love-it-elm-creek-park-reserve-summer-edition/

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-hiking-trails-twin-cities/

https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/minnehah.htm

https://www.afar.com/places/minnehaha-falls

https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/fortpark.htm

https://rootsrated.com/minneapolis-mn/mountain-biking/ft-snelling-state-park