Features:
The Quarry Hill Nature Center, located just northwest of downtown Rochester, is a great spot for easy to moderate trail running. This 320-acre park area has 8+ miles of trails covering woodlands, meadows, prairies and oak savannas. There’s a nice variety in terms of terrain and ability. This excellent trail map has detailed descriptions of the different trails, plus several suggested loop options. Some trails are paved and others dirt, grass, or gravel. The red-colored ‘sports trails’ are among the better for running. It’s ~2 miles from the south to north ends on a paved trail. Note: some trails are reserved for X-C skiing in winter.
Access from downtown. It’s only 1.6 miles from downtown Rochester to the southern entrance of Quarry Hill. Use the paved multi-use path for 0.5 miles north from Mayo Park, then the trail turns east for 1 mile to enter Quarry Hill just north of the Federal Medical Center.
- 8+ miles of trails
- Rolling hill terrain
- One of the three parking areas. Access from downown is 1.6 miles from Mayo Park
- Three different parking areas. Run from downtown is ~1.5 miles.
Comment on this Route/Share a Photo!
Share your feedback on this route and see that of other Great Runs users. Click on the image icon to upload a photo. And please let us know if there are notes or changes we should incorporate!