Running trails in Elkmont, AL
Elkmont has 2 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 185 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Marbut's Bend
4.7 ★★★★★ 102 reviews
Gravel and boardwalk paths traversing a swampy area with wetlands and the Elk River, all ideal for casual walking.
Richard Martin Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 83 reviews
Flat, shaded 10-mile trail for hikers, horses and bikes, with covered bridges.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Elkmont
- Match the surface to your legs. Elkmont gives you a choice: 1 crushed gravel and 1 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More crushed gravel trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Elkmont is Richard Martin Trail at 10 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking and 1 has restrooms in Elkmont. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 2 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Elkmont trails by type
Running trails near Elkmont
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.