Running trails in Gilbert, AZ
Gilbert has 13 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 2 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 10 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 16,996 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.
Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
4.8 ★★★★★ 7,547 reviews
Expansive natural area with 7 ponds & hiking trails, plus an observatory.& dinosaur-bone dig site.
Freestone District Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 4,485 reviews
A community park on 88 acres with a rec center, fields, mini amusement park, a skate park & fishing.
Gilbert Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,982 reviews
Large splash pad, modern playground & a fishing lake, plus pickleball, volleyball & tennis courts.
Discovery District Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,031 reviews
This 48-acre park features soccer fields, basketball courts, jogging trails, a playground & a lake.
Crossroads District Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 282 reviews
Recreational area with a playground, basketball and volleyball courts, baseball fields, and dog park.
The Barn & Trailside Community Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 237 reviews
Public park with a pond, walking paths, and a barn that hosts events.
Zanjero Park
4 ★★★★☆ 201 reviews
Arid, 20-acre park featuring walking & equestrian trails & a burrowing owl habitat.
Gilbert Road Trail Crossing
4.2 ★★★★☆ 18 reviews
Greenbelt
4.8 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
Adora Trails Main Park
5 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Gilbert
- Match the surface to your legs. Gilbert gives you a choice: 3 paved 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 paved 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Gilbert are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 10 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 8 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Gilbert. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 3 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Gilbert trails by type
Running trails near Gilbert
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.