Running trails in Tempe, AZ
Tempe has 13 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt and 4 shaded. 12 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 20,179 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.
Tempe Beach Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 10,435 reviews
Local landmark features a splash playground, boating, a baseball diamond & other athletic fields.
Kiwanis Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 4,324 reviews
Park with a lake & a 54,000-sq.-ft. complex with an indoor wave pool & a 15-court tennis center.
Rio Salado Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,338 reviews
This former industrial area is now a desert river habitat with hiking trails & 200+ bird species.
Hayden Butte
4.7 ★★★★★ 742 reviews
Park & popular hiking area, known for a 60-ft. letter "A" representing Arizona State University.
Papago Park in Tempe
4.4 ★★★★☆ 382 reviews
Public park with a restroom, playground, and picnic tables, as well as hiking trails.
"A" Mountain Tempe
4.7 ★★★★★ 279 reviews
Popular for hiking, this butte at Arizona State University features a 60-foot, concrete letter "A."
Hanger Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 229 reviews
Open park with playgrounds, basketball courts, slides and paths.
Cole Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 164 reviews
Park providing a playground, picnic facilities, and a lake, plus access to the Flyover Bridge.
Evelyn Hallman Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 83 reviews
Waterside green space featuring walking paths along a canal and/or pond.
Crosscut Canal Path
4.6 ★★★★★ 32 reviews
This paved canalside cycling/walking track links Scottsdale & Tempe & offers city views.
LoPiano Bosque Habitat
4.3 ★★★★☆ 27 reviews
This 13-mile habitat features walking & biking trails, a variety of wildlife & native desert trees.
Canal Trailhead
4.2 ★★★★☆ 18 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Tempe
- Match the surface to your legs. Tempe gives you a choice: 3 paved, 2 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 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. 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. 12 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Tempe. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Tempe trails by type
Running trails near Tempe
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.