Neighboring Minneapolis and St. Paul, commonly known as the Twin Cities, form a large metropolitan area and are among the most livable cities in the United States…and one of the most underrated for running! With extensive lakes, paths along the Mississippi River, large parks, and pleasant residential neighborhoods, running in Minneapolis-St. Paul is a pleasure. Minnesota is informally known as the land of 10,000 lakes and running around a lake is a classic Twin Cities training run. The Twin Cities Marathon is claimed to be “The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America”.
Our favorites include the famed Chain of Lakes run, the Minnehaha Parkway, and paths along the Mississippi River. In St. Paul, Lake Como is beautiful, and we’ve also mapped out a tour of the Capitol and Summit Avenue. From the Capitol, you can also take the Gateway State Trail for many miles north of the city. For park-like running, enjoy Fort Snelling State Park and Hyland Lake Park Preserve. Just east of St. Paul, there’s great trail running in Lake Elmo Park Reserve. Historic Stillwater, located 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, is a worth-it spot for some nice running on the St. Croix River and the Brown’s Creek State Trail, which runs into the Gateway Trail.
Weather in the Twin Cities can be extreme; summers are hot and humid, and winters can be brutally cold. There’s good public transport in the Twin Cities, consisting of an extensive bus and light rail system.
