Running trails in Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith has 12 trails in the directory — 5 paved, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 11 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 5,588 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.
Ben Geren Regional Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,280 reviews
Wide-ranging park with a disc golf course, a mountain biking trail, a playground & other features.
Carol Ann Cross Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,078 reviews
Community park featuring a playground, a pavilion, walking trails, a pond, restrooms & more.
Harry E. Kelley River Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 753 reviews
Recreational park on the river featuring an outdoor amphitheater, picnic tables, trails & fishing.
Fort Smith Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 453 reviews
Riverside park boasting a dog park, a playground and picnic tables, plus trails.
Torraine Lake
4.7 ★★★★★ 252 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring a small lake along with paved and dirt trails for walking, biking and hiking.
Stagecoach Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 97 reviews
Tranquil neighborhood park featuring a playground and basketball court.
Ronnie Udouj Walking Trail.
4.6 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Park offering a river, benches, walking trails, and fishing spots.
Fort Smith Riverfront Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Park featuring a paved trail for walking, biking, and skating, plus rentals.
Ben Geren Multi-Use Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 66 reviews
Large park with paved roads, multi-use trails and disc golf courses.
Ruth Armstrong Nature Area
4.3 ★★★★☆ 32 reviews
Big CottonWoods Bike Trail.
4.8 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Fort Smith
- Match the surface to your legs. Fort Smith gives you a choice: 5 paved and 2 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. The longest stated distance in Fort Smith is Ronnie Udouj Walking Trail. at 1 mi.
- 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. 11 of the 12 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Fort Smith. 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, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Fort Smith trails by type
Running trails near Fort Smith
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.