Running trails in Lakeside, AZ
Lakeside has 7 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 2 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 2,118 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.
Woodland Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,487 reviews
Sporting & play areas with hiking, biking & horse trails, fishing, boating & picnic facilities.
Mogollon Rim Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 398 reviews
Family-friendly hiking trail featuring scenic views of the Mogollon Rim.
Big Springs Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Scenic, kid-friendly destination featuring hiking trails as well as areas for walking and bird-watching.
Panorama Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 69 reviews
Destination with kid-friendly hiking trails and mountain biking routes amid forested surrounds.
Timber Mesa Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 70 reviews
Popular hiking trail in a forested area with some inclines and peek-a-boo views.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lakeside
- Match the surface to your legs. Lakeside gives you a choice: 3 natural surface, 2 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Lakeside is Timber Mesa Trailhead at 200 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Lakeside is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 2 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Lakeside. 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 with mile markers, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 3 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Lakeside trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Lakeside
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.