Hiking and running trails in Anoka County are fairly abundant, with 18 regional and county parks. 13 of them have paved and/or natural surface trails that offer many miles of on-foot opportunities.
A note about park fees: Your Anoka County annual vehicle permit is good in Washington County regional parks, too. The parks that require a permit are noted. (I like to think of it like this: Buying an annual sticker is relatively cheap—just $30. If you look at it as a donation to the park system we enjoy so much, it’s worth it!)
A note about trail distances: Unlike many of the other county park and rec departments, Anoka doesn’t do a great job giving us total distances for its trails. Distances aren’t listed on the website at all, and they’re so broken up on the maps that it isn’t at all user-friendly.
Bunker Hills Regional Park
Coon Rapids/Andover • Daily or annual vehicle permit needed
Bunker Hills Regional Park is a wonderful hiking and running destination. Much of the 1,600 acres is wooded, and its many trails go through plenty of twists, turns and hills to keep it interesting. There are several miles of both multi-use paved trails and natural surface trails for foot traffic only. Here’s the Bunker summer trail map.
During the winter many of the trails are groomed for cross country skiing, and those are off limits to hikers. But the park also plows a large chunk of its paved trails for winter hiking. Here’s the Bunker winter map.
Coon Creek Regional Trail
Coon Rapids
We don’t list most of the regional trails in this Hiking Guide, but we want to include this one. Partly because it’s one of the shortest trails and therefore good for hikers and runners, and partly because so much of it is wooded and along the creeks.
This trail runs from County Road 11/Northdale Boulevard to Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, through neighborhoods and woods. Much of it follows scenic Coon Creek. Check out this page for more information and to look at a map.
The Coon Creek Trail is super for long runs if you like paved trails. The total distance each way is 6 miles, so it would give you a nice 12-mile out-and-back run with some rolling hills. Since it’s a regional trail, it’s not plowed during the winter.
Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park
Coon Rapids • Daily or annual vehicle permit needed
Heavily-used Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park is full of activity year-around. The trail system interweaves with other local trails (including Hennepin County trails across the dam), making it very accessible. Its setting along the Mississippi River and its mature woods make it very beautiful.
There are both paved and natural surface trails throughout the 446 acres of the Park. They’re not terribly long and are therefore great for families with small children and those who prefer a shorter hike. Here’s the summer map.
The park service keeps much of the paved trail system plowed for winter hiking, including over the dam. Here’s the winter map.
Islands of Peace County Park
Fridley
Islands of Peace is on a peninsula with a paved trail system jutting out into the Mississippi River. The trails are short but super scenic, with not just the beautiful river but huge cottonwoods and other mature trees throughout the park.
It’s perfect for families with small children and anyone not up for a long hike. There are several spur trails that lead down next to the river, so keep those youngsters in hand! Here’s the year-round map.
Kordiak County Park
Columbia Heights
Only 29 acres, Kordiak was the first of Anoka’s County’s designated parks. Paved trails follow about two-thirds of Highland Lake. If you’d like to do a complete loop, you can move to the streets outside the park. Or simply do an out-and-back route.
This is another very scenic little park that’s great for families with small children. Here’s the year-round map.
Locke County Park
Fridley
Hidden away between University Avenue and Highway 65 in Fridley, Locke has a lovely trail loop along Rice Creek that takes you on both paved and natural-surface trails. Mature trees in this wooded park add to its beauty. Kids could easily spend lots of time exploring the woods and creek banks.
(Unfortunately, this park is no longer listed among Anoka County’s parks for some reason, so the county doesn’t have a map.)
Manomin County Park
Fridley
Tiny 15-acre Manomin is home to Banfill/Locke Center for the Arts. Situated at the confluence of the Mississippi River and Rice Creek, there are both paved and natural surface trails. Not much for distance, but very beautiful! Here’s the year-round map.
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve
Centerville • Daily or annual vehicle permit needed
Rice Creek is the largest park in Anoka County at 5,500 acres. There’s a network of multi-use paved trails throughout the park that can be accessed via local neighborhoods. And there are a couple natural-surface trails—one at Wargo Nature Center (a great place for kids) and a loop between George Watch Lake and Marshan Lake. Here’s the summer map. Here’s a map of the trails at Wargo Nature Center.
Because of the wetlands and lakes, this is a great area for bird watching. Bring binoculars and/or your camera!
In the winter there are groomed ski trails on Chomonix Golf Course that are off-limits to hikers, except for a multi-use loop accessed off Lake Drive. That’s open to hikers, snowshoers and fat tire bikers. Here’s that map.
Riverfront Regional Park
Fridley
139-acre Riverfront Regional Park is beautifully situated along the Mississippi River. The paved trail that runs from north to south is a section of the Mississippi Regional Trail.
It connects with trail systems that go into downtown Minneapolis as well as up to Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. It’s very suitable for families with young children and others who prefer to stick to short distances. Here’s the map.
Rum River Central Regional Park
Ramsey • Daily or annual vehicle permit needed
Rum River Central has about four miles of beautiful paved multi-use trails through its heavily-wooded and quite hilly terrain. You’ll walk along the Rum River once in awhile and also across some restored prairie. Sections of the trail are prone to spring flooding from the river. Here’s the summer map.
There are horse trails in this park, too, which are, of course, natural-surface. Feel free to hike on those as long as you give horses the right-of-way.
The park folks plow a short section of the trail system during the winter for winter hiking. Otherwise, most of the trails are groomed for cross country skiing, and those are off limits to everyone else. Here’s the winter map.
Rum River North County Park
St. Francis
For its size (80 acres) this park has a decent amount of mostly-paved multi-use trails. There’s a small network of natural surface trails on the north end of the park, too. There are some super overlooks of the Rum River. Here’s the map.
This park is great for families with kids, both for length and its play structure. It’s not as quiet as Rum River Central because it’s right in St. Francis, but is very lovely.
Rum River South County Park, Anoka
Anoka
And finally, the southern most of the Rum River Parks, Rum River South isn’t an ideal hiking and running destination, but is fine for families with young kids and others who prefer short hikes. Here’s the year-round map.
Rum River Regional Trail on the other side of the river is a better option for longer hikes.
Twin Cities Hiking & Trail Running Guide
Published in 2020 and updated in 2023, our 48-page digital Hiking & Trail Running Guide is the easiest way to find hiking and running trails in all seven counties of the Twin Cities metro area.