Running trails in Show Low, AZ
Show Low has 8 trails in the directory — 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 3 shaded. 3 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 3,441 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.
Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,515 reviews
Park with a 150-acre lake offering year-round fishing & boating, plus a campground & picnic areas.
Show Low City Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,426 reviews
Popular park featuring playgrounds, basketball courts and disc golf courses.
Show Low Creek Meadow Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 225 reviews
Green, paved and dirt trails amid a meadow. Also a golf course and picnic area.
Billy Creek Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Hiking area featuring creek-side trails through forested terrain, plus scenic views.
Show Low City Dog Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Dog-friendly, fenced-in recreation area featuring dirt and wood chip surfaces alongside a fenced-off zone for timid dogs.
Los Caballos Trailhead #638
4.6 ★★★★★ 62 reviews
Scenic trail for hikers and mountain bikers, as well as equestrian riders.
Buena Vista Trailhead - Moderate-Loop
4.1 ★★★★☆ 41 reviews
Scenic trail, part of a large, dog-friendly wooded area also used for logging.
Long Pine Dam Road - Maverick Trail Staging Area
4 ★★★★☆ 17 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Show Low
- Match the surface to your legs. Show Low gives you a choice: 3 natural surface 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? 4 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 Show Low is Los Caballos Trailhead #638 at 7 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. 3 of the 8 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking and 4 have restrooms in Show Low. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Show Low trails by type
Running trails near Show Low
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.