Running trails in Benton, AR
Benton has 5 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 4 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 2,187 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.
Tyndall Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,225 reviews
Venue offering softball, tennis & basketball, plus a skate park, splash pad & community center.
Benton Parks & Recreation Department
4.5 ★★★★★ 672 reviews
Open park featuring a splash pool, walking trails and an amphitheater.
Benton Dog Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 249 reviews
Clean public space featuring play areas for little and large dogs and some benches.
Benton Bike Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 23 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Benton
- Match the surface to your legs. Benton gives you a choice: 1 paved and 1 crushed gravel. 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 Benton are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 5 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. 1 has trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Benton. 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 and 1 dog-friendly. 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 Benton trails by type
Running trails near Benton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.