The great outdoors is part of what makes Minneapolis-Saint Paul so incredibly spectacular: the cities are filled to the brim with outdoor based activities for every season. While not every resident of the Twin Cities is an avid outdoors person with expansive knowledge of nature, that doesn’t mean that they’re incapable of enjoying what Minneapolis and Saint Paul have to offer. If you want to spend time outside in the Twin Cities but don’t want to scale cliffs and do daredevil sorts of things, here are seven easy hikes to add to your outdoor bucket list in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. These might just be some of the best hikes in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, so write them down:

1. Minnehaha Falls Regional Park
Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA
Flickr/Anita Gould
Every Minneapolitan loves Minnehaha Falls. The 53-foot-tall waterfall is incredibly mesmerizing and the surrounding park has some of the most beautiful and accessible hiking trails in the entire city. Most hiking trails are along the Minnehaha Creek, which eventually connects to the Mississippi River in Saint Paul.
2. Mill Ruins Park
Mill Ruins Park, 102 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA
Flickr/m01229
Minneapolis is known as the Mill City and the economy was once heavily based in flour milling. In the late 1800s, one of the flour mills exploded, leaving its ruins behind. From Mill Ruins Park, one can meander across the Stone Arch Bridge into the Marcy Holmes neighborhood or follow a trail along the ruins and eventually hit the Mississippi Gorge Park.
3. Winchell Trail
Winchell Trail, Winchell Trl, Minneapolis, MN 55406, USA
Facebook/Lee Love
The Winchell Trail is a hidden gem in Minneapolis. Hidden within the Longfellow neighborhood of the city, this 4.5-mile trail extends along the Mississippi River from great heights along the river bluffs. You will feel as if you've left Minneapolis entirely and have entered a new, enchanting world.

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4. Simon's Ravine Trailhead
Simon's Ravine Trailhead, 1308 Concord St N, South St Paul, MN 55075, USA
David Lund/AllTrails
Simon's Ravine Trailhead has only been open since 2007 but has quickly become the access point to many of Dakota County's trails. Located in South Saint Paul, the trail is named after the Ravine family who settled in and owned the area in 1878. Pathways through this trail are well paved and beautiful.
5. Lilydale Regional Park
Lilydale Regional Park, 950 Lilydale Rd, St Paul, MN 55118, USA
Teresa Boardman/Flickr
The best hiking trails are always along the Mississippi River, and Lilydale Regional Park in Saint Paul is absolutely stunning. Once you're done with your hike, you can fish in the park's small lake to continue your outdoor adventure.
6. Hidden Falls Regional Park
Hidden Falls Regional Park, 7587 Mears Pl, Auburn, CA 95603, USA
Flickr/jpellgen (@1179_jp)
Minnehaha Falls isn't the only extraordinary waterfall in the Twin Cities. Hidden Falls in Saint Paul is a bit tucked away; you'll have to follow the path to eventually find the waterfall and it will be worth the hike.
7. Crosby Farm Regional Park
Crosby Farm Regional Park, 2595 Crosby Farm Rd, St Paul, MN 55116, USA
Flickr/Bjorn Watland
Crosby Farm Regional Park in Saint Paul covers a whopping 736 acres and a variety of scenery. Many of the hiking trails are immersed within the woods, but others come with a view of Lake Crosby and the Mississippi River as well.

These are just a few of the easiest and most beautiful hikes within Minneapolis and Saint Paul that you should add to your outdoor bucket list. We know the Twin Cities offer a variety of other options for hiking, and we’d love to know about your favorites in the comments below!

If you love the great outdoors, read about these 10 epic and outdoorsy things in Minneapolis-Saint Paul that anyone can do.

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More to Explore

Best Hikes in Minneapolis-Saint Paul

Tori Jane | July 13, 2022

What are some wonderful kid-friendly hikes around Minneapolis-Saint Paul?  

Minneapolis is a hiker’s paradise – it's just that a lot of folks don’t know it! That being said, there are lots of wonderful trails perfect for novice hikers, so they’re perfect for bringing the kids. Check out amazing hiking trails in Minnesota that just so happen to be the Minneapolis-St. Paul area’s best, like Hidden Falls Trail at Hidden Falls Regional Park. It’s short and sweet, at just 1.3 miles in length, and it’s perfect for even the littlest of little ones. Another favorite kid-friendly hike near Minneapolis-St. Paul is found at Long Lake Park; it’s the 1.4-mile scenic trek known as, appropriately, the Long Lake Trail.  

What are some of the most scenic hikes in Minneapolis-Saint Paul?  

With 17.6 million acres of forest land and quite literally more than 10,000 lakes, Minnesota is one of the most amazing states in the country. Some of the hiking trails in the Twin Cities area are so ridiculously stunning that you might just forget you’re so close to the city. One perfect example of this is the Lebanon Hills Regional Park, which is so much more than just outrageously beautiful. It’s one of the most scenic places in Minnesota and easily one of the most popular places to go hiking near Minneapolis-St. Paul. We’re also hopelessly obsessed with Minnehaha Regional Park, where we love embarking upon the incredible waterfall hike that leads to one of the most amazing waterfalls in Minnesota.  

What are some of the best easy hikes in Minneapolis-Saint Paul?  

There are literally thousands of hikes in Minneapolis-St. Paul, so naturally, a decent fraction of those are quite easy. We just so happen to have several favorite easy hikes in Minneapolis-St. Paul, like the to-die-for Lake Harriet Loop Trail, at Lyndale Park. It’s got it all: a sparkling blue lake, rose gardens, blue skies ... it’s everything that’s beautiful about Minnesota, and it’s definitely one of our favorite lake hikes in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Another classic is the four-mile-long Nine Mile Creek Loop, which is easily one of the most beautiful hikes in the Midwest.  

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