For those of us living in the central parts of the metro, finding unpaved spaces to get a trail-fix can be difficult. That’s where Theodore Wirth Park provides an oasis in the middle of the city. Containing miles of trails, with a few multi-use paths, a golf course, newly renovated beach park, and even a bird sanctuary, there’s quite a lot going on. But despite all of this, the trails are very uncrowded; I’ve rarely come across another person. The busiest portion of the trails would probably be the mountain bike section, except during winter when the cross country trails are open. And even though I’ve heard some sketchy stories about Theo Wirth Park, I’ve been running there at all times of the day, year-round and never seen anything that makes me question safety or cleanliness. I probably wouldn’t hang out there after dark, but that’s pretty much common sense.
On a recent 11 mile run I was able put in over half of it on various trails and green spaces in Theo Wirth and the trails connecting to it. I certainly didn’t exhaust all of the available trails. So there you have it, folks. Just a bit west of downtown Minneapolis, connected to the Grand Rounds and Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Theodore Wirth Park. Go out and get some dirt.
Monkey with Chainsaw 