Running trails in Little Rock, AR

How to pick a trail in Little Rock

• Match the surface to your legs. Little Rock gives you a choice: 4 mixed, 3 paved, 1 natural surface, and 1 boardwalk. 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 mixed 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 Little Rock is Pinnacle Mountain State Park at 33 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
• Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Little Rock are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 17 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. 4 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Little Rock. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 3 with mile markers, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 6 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Little Rock trails by type

• Mixed trails (4 in Little Rock)
• Paved trails (3 in Little Rock)
• Natural surface trails (1 in Little Rock)
• Boardwalk trails (1 in Little Rock)
• Loop trails (4 in Little Rock)
• Long-run trails (5+ mi) (3 in Little Rock)
• Shaded trails (2 in Little Rock)
• Lit for early & night runs (1 in Little Rock)
• Flat & fast (4 in Little Rock)
• Hilly trails (2 in Little Rock)
• Scenic trails (12 in Little Rock)
• Trails with restrooms (7 in Little Rock)
• Trails with water fountains (6 in Little Rock)
• Trailhead parking (4 in Little Rock)
• Trails with mile markers (3 in Little Rock)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (8 in Little Rock)
• Dog-friendly (6 in Little Rock)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (4 in Little Rock)

Running trails near Little Rock

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in North Little Rock, AR (6 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in Maumelle, AR (3 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in Sherwood, AR (4 · 10 mi)
• Running trails in Roland, AR (4 · 11 mi)
• Running trails in Bryant, AR (3 · 13 mi)
• Running trails in Jacksonville, AR (3 · 15 mi)
• Running trails in Benton, AR (5 · 19 mi)
• Running trails in Conway, AR (12 · 22 mi)