Running trails in Vail, AZ
Vail has 1 trail in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt and 1 open 24 hours. Every one posts opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 61 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.
Sahuarita Trailhead of the The Arizona Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 61 reviews
Natural surfaceScenic
Traditional Sonoran high-desert hiking trail often used for mountain biking.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Vail
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is natural surface (1 of 1). 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? 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. Every trail in Vail is listed as open 24 hours, so an early start is never the problem. 1 of the 1 listing carries posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 1 has trailhead parking in Vail. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Vail trails by type
Running trails near Vail
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.