Awesome Places and Trails to Run in North Dakota

Gravel Roads Anywhere:
Honestly, just about every corner of this state has quiet gravel roads where you can zone out and simply enjoy running and being outside.

Turtle River State Park:

This state park is probably 20 miles west of Grand Forks. Very nice, well-maintained trails through both woods and prairie. Hills vary in size, but nothing too big. Any run over 4 miles is going to require more than one loop, however.

Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area:
Just west of Walhalla, ND in the far Northeast corner of the state. This is primarily a 4-wheeling area, with 2-wide, very soft black dirt trails. The trail loop is more than 12 miles, or 20+ miles if you do an out-and-back. The trails can be very hilly, and make for a tough run. The scenery is quite stunning in many areas. Note: any time it rains the trails turn to absolute mud.

Greenway Ski Trails in Grand Forks:
 The Greenway is 15+ miles of paved trail along the river in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, MN. There are multiple bridges crossing the river, and 2 different loops to run, one 4 miles, the other 8.75 miles. The trails are very flat and have no stop signs or intersections to worry about. In multiple points by the river, a dirt trail branches off and goes through the woods, and these are groomed for skiing during the winter as well.

Fort Stevenson State Park:
Located on the north side of Lake Sakakawea three miles south of Garrison. This park I've been to many times, and it has two halves. The first half is on the east side and is flat trails through woods. The trees were all planted, so the trails are very straight with tight turns on the corners of the loops that don't make more than a couple miles all together. These trails are groomed for skiing in the winter. The other half follows the lakeside through semi-hilly pine woods going north from the visitor center. This 4-5 mile loop is mostly dirt and has some beautiful scenery, especially near sunset.

Lake Sakakawea State Park: Located on the south side of Lake Sakakawea near the town of Pick City. This park has trails along the lake, through open tallgrass prairie, and a trail that climbs up the hillside into small trees and bushes. This park also has a connection to the North Country Trail. North Country Trail- From NY to ND. Not a great place for a long run, with only 6 or so miles of trails.

Cross Ranch State Park:
Located on the west side of the Missouri River, 10 miles southwest of Washburn, ND. The trails here are all mowed grass, decently wide, and very flat. The trails are composed of 3 sets of loops, but running the big loop around the whole park makes almost 13 miles without doubling back. Trails are also groomed for skiing in the winter. Almost all of the trails are through beautiful, shaded cottonwood forest with few people. 

Dirt Bike Trails in Bismarck:
Starting from the MDU Resources Community Bowl, these single-track dirt trails drop down towards the Missouri River in many steep, rugged loops. Many locals use these for dirt biking, and you may indeed come across many locals using the trails for just that. These are tough, but provide beautiful scenery and a great workout. There is a lot of trail, but to run more than 4-5 miles, you will need to run multiple loops. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Unit):
Like almost every other national park, TR has nice trails- some with people, some without- and hilly terrain. Make sure to run the Maah Daah Hey Trail if possible. 

Maah Daah Hey Trail:
This is where you go to run in the state of North Dakota. This baby is 150 miles point-to-point on singletrack dirt trails through some of the most beautiful terrain the state can offer. It's a difficult trail with plenty of up-and-downs, and there are occasionally (rarely) horses and/or bikers on the trail. There are nice trailheads at Forest Service Campgrounds and the State Park south of Medora. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit):

See TR North Unit above.

Turtle Mountain State Forest:
A small state forest located in the north central part of the state right by Canada, this forest has some decently long, heavily wooded trails. The hills aren't too bad, and the public traffic is very low. There are some quiet campgrounds in the area, and the woods and lakes give off more of a Minnesota vibe than North Dakota. Would recommend this place to anybody. 

Fort Ransom State Park:
 This state park is about 20-25 miles south of Valley City, along the Sheyenne River Valley. The trails are partially through thin woodlands, and partially on prairie. A couple of the trails get fairly hilly in areas, and there is good scenery as well. Only been there once, so I haven't run all the trails.

The Bison and Challenge Trail:
This dirt bike trail is located just a couple miles southeast of Minot on Highway 52. The Bison Trail is 2.25 miles of nicely maintained, soft black dirt through the woods of the Souris River Valley. In fact, most of this trail is shaded, which is clutch in the summer. The challenge trail is between 3.5 and 4 miles long, depending on which turns you take. It weaves around the Bison Trail, is much skinnier (singletrack), and has tons of turns and obstacles. I ran each trail and it came out to about 6 miles. Beautiful trail, low difficulty level, few people, and a nice place to visit. Apparently it's good for XC skiing in the winter too.

River Trails in Fargo: Just like in Grand Forks, Fargo/Moorhead has a paved trail following the Red River, along with some dirt paths in the trees closer to the water. Quite a beautiful place in the summertime. Not really sure how far the total mileage is, but it's definitely more than a few miles. 

Future Plans: Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge

Future Plans: Sheyenne National Grassland

Future Plans: Little Missouri State Park