In the parking lot in front of the Park Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center can be found by taking the southern most park entrance east of Bush Lake Road.
Note: Parking is FREE at Three Rivers Park District locations.
Route:
Hyland Lake Park Reserve has several routes suitable for running. Three (3) paved loops begin at the Visitor's Center. The North Loop provides a round trip distance of 2.99 miles. The South Loop has been measured at 2.06 miles round trip. There is also a short center loop of a little over one mile in distance. The major attraction to this center loop is that it is swept down to the pavement during the winter months. It can get icy during thaws. The North Loop is converted to a snowshoe trail during periods of snow.
There are also numerous unpaved trails to follow throughout the park. One popular route is the Lake Loop, which as you might guess, circles Hyland Lake. This loop is 2 to 2.5 miles around depending on the route. A major attraction to the Lake Loop is that it is lit during the fall months until the snow falls. At that time, the loop is converted to a ski trail and is not accessible to runners.
Other things to know:
Hyland Lake Park Reserve is an excellent location for group runs as the routes loop out and back to the Visitor's Center. This allows runners to join or leave the group at varying distances. Frequent fluid and restroom breaks can also be easily implemented. Note: the Visitor's Center is often closed during prime running hours. Additional restroom facilities can be found on the western end of the lake, near the top of the hill.
All trails provide a very nice run through prairie, rolling hills, and woodlands. Much wildlife can be seen if you pay attention.
Races held at Hyland Lake Park Reserve include: Trail Mix 50k/25k (April), Run for the Raptors (5k) (September), and the Northstar Nordic 5k Run (October/November).
