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The best running trails in the US
Ranked by the runners who actually run them: Google rating weighted by review volume, across 12,778,011 reviews of 31,905 trails. A trail needs at least 25 reviews to qualify (11,480 clear that bar), and each name appears once, so the list isn't five different Riverwalks. Nobody pays to be here.
This is a popularity ranking, not a difficulty rating. It tells you which trails runners love and keep coming back to — which skews toward well-known city greenways and big park loops with thousands of reviews. It says nothing about how hard a trail is to run. We don't publish an Easy/Moderate/Hard score at all, because the same path is an easy jog for one runner and a grind for another; every trail page gives you the concrete facts instead — surface, loop distance, shade, lighting, restrooms and trailhead parking. For trails near you rather than famous ones, start with your state.
Central Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 300,064 reviews
Sprawling park with pedestrian paths & ballfields, plus a zoo, carousel, boat rentals & a reservoir.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 43,091 reviews
This urban oasis features shaded picnic tables, hibachi-style BBQ grills & river views.
Stone Mountain Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 43,054 reviews
Vast, scenic park with activities, golf, lodging & a cable car ride to a historic, carved peak.
Boston Common
4.7 ★★★★★ 38,548 reviews
Storied, nearly 50-acre urban park that hosted British troops during the American Revolution.
Liberty State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 36,921 reviews
Waterfront views of Manhattan, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, plus miles of tree-lined walkways.
Forest Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 34,419 reviews
Opened in 1876, this 1,300-acre park includes 3 museums, a zoo, athletic fields & golf courses.
Prospect Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 28,472 reviews
Sprawling city park featuring the Audubon Center in the historic Boathouse, plus Prospect Park Zoo.
Falls Park on the Reedy
4.9 ★★★★★ 21,473 reviews
Picturesque park with waterfall views, a curved suspension bridge & many acres of gardens.
New Orleans City Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 19,979 reviews
This expansive urban greenspace with a lake & paths features a dog run, museums, disc golf & more.
Forsyth Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 19,194 reviews
30-acre park with basketball & tennis courts, paths, a historic fountain & a Confederate memorial.
Public Garden
4.8 ★★★★★ 18,626 reviews
Placid, verdant, circa-1837 city park with a lagoon, boat rides, fountains & other sights.
Piedmont Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 17,919 reviews
Sprawling park featuring jogging paths, basketball courts, dog parks, a farmers' market & more.
San Bernardino National Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 18,077 reviews
Mountain destination for outdoor recreation, with scenic roads, multi-use trails & camping.
Hampton Beach State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 16,749 reviews
Atlantic Ocean swim area with day-rate & metered parking, bathhouses, an RV park & event facilities.
Dockweiler Beach
4.5 ★★★★★ 17,090 reviews
Bustling public beach offering a hang gliding training park, bonfires & views of departing aircraft.
Beverly Hills Garden Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 14,308 reviews
Expansive, tree-filled park with fountains & jogging paths plus cacti & rose gardens.
Tropical Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 13,785 reviews
City park offering miles of paved biking & hiking paths plus boating & fishing in 4 separate lakes.
Gathering Place
4.8 ★★★★★ 13,208 reviews
Riverfront park featuring an adventure playground, a sensory garden, a picnic area, eateries & more.
Papago Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 12,935 reviews
Expansive hiking & picnicking area that includes the Phoenix Zoo & famed Hole-in-the-Rock formation.
Shelby Farms Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 12,300 reviews
4,500 acres with biking & horse trails, many bodies of water for fishing & boating plus playgrounds.
Denver City Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 12,443 reviews
This expansive greenspace has amenities such as a zoo, museum & golf course, plus areas for hiking.
Minnehaha Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 11,113 reviews
This 193-acre riverfront park has miles of trails & a waterfall celebrated in a Longfellow poem.
Waterfront Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 11,268 reviews
Well-known park with Charleston Harbor views, plus a large lawn, walkways & fountains.
Best running trails, state by state
The same runner-driven ranking, run for every state — handy when you're travelling, or when the national winners are a long drive away.
- Best running trails in Alabama
- Best running trails in Alaska
- Best running trails in Arizona
- Best running trails in Arkansas
- Best running trails in California
- Best running trails in Colorado
- Best running trails in Connecticut
- Best running trails in Delaware
- Best running trails in District of Columbia
- Best running trails in Florida
- Best running trails in Georgia
- Best running trails in Hawaii
- Best running trails in Idaho
- Best running trails in Illinois
- Best running trails in Indiana
- Best running trails in Iowa
- Best running trails in Kansas
- Best running trails in Kentucky
- Best running trails in Louisiana
- Best running trails in Maine
- Best running trails in Maryland
- Best running trails in Massachusetts
- Best running trails in Michigan
- Best running trails in Minnesota
- Best running trails in Mississippi
- Best running trails in Missouri
- Best running trails in Montana
- Best running trails in Nebraska
- Best running trails in Nevada
- Best running trails in New Hampshire
- Best running trails in New Jersey
- Best running trails in New Mexico
- Best running trails in New York
- Best running trails in North Carolina
- Best running trails in North Dakota
- Best running trails in Ohio
- Best running trails in Oklahoma
- Best running trails in Oregon
- Best running trails in Pennsylvania
- Best running trails in Rhode Island
- Best running trails in South Carolina
- Best running trails in South Dakota
- Best running trails in Tennessee
- Best running trails in Texas
- Best running trails in Utah
- Best running trails in Vermont
- Best running trails in Virginia
- Best running trails in Washington
- Best running trails in West Virginia
- Best running trails in Wisconsin
- Best running trails in Wyoming
How the ranking works
Two numbers do the work: a trail's Google rating and how many people left one. Weighting the rating by review volume means a 4.7 with 900 reviews finishes above a lone 5.0 from three people — the second is noise, the first is a consensus. We set the floor at 25 reviews, drop duplicate names, and leave everything else alone. No sponsorships, no submissions, no way to buy a place.
What it can't tell you is whether a trail suits your run. A five-star riverside path can still be paved when you wanted dirt, exposed when you needed shade, or gated at dusk when you run at 6am. That's what the filters and each trail's own page are for — browse by surface, by loop, by long-run distance, or read the trail-running guides.