Best running trails in Kentucky
Ranked by the runners who actually run there — Google rating weighted by review volume, across 106,745 reviews of Kentucky trails. A trail needs at least 25 reviews to qualify (119 in Kentucky do) and each name appears once. Nobody pays for a place. Updated 2026.
The 20 below run across 10 cities, 9 of them paved, 3 loops, 6 shaded, and 2 with a stated distance. This is a popularity ranking, not a difficulty score — for what a trail is actually like underfoot, open its page for surface, loop distance, shade, lighting, restrooms and parking.
Smothers Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,733 reviews
Park with a water-play area & a playground, plus 3 signature fountains with a show every 15 minutes.
Beckley Creek Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,035 reviews
Placid, sprawling park featuring various trails, picnic areas, a sprayground & other options.
E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,630 reviews
Activity-filled, 550-acre urban park with trails, birding, a pool, an archery range & more.
Central Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,213 reviews
Time-tested community space flanked by mature trees, with a dog park, ball fields & exercise paths.
Raven Run Nature Sanctuary
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,622 reviews
This 734-acre woodland preserve has 10 mi. of marked hiking trails, plus streams & wildlife.
Shillito Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,481 reviews
Sports & recreation park on 176 acres with athletic fields & courts plus a swimming pool.
Brown Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,342 reviews
Dog-friendly grass-covered park featuring a creek and playground with picnic shelters.
Legion Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,342 reviews
22-acre green space with a playground, screened picnic shelters, a trail & basketball/tennis courts.
Tower Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,168 reviews
Clean park featuring a baseball field and tennis and basketball courts.
Boone County Arboretum
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,020 reviews
121-acre botanical garden with classes & exhibits, trails & kids' area, plus 12 athletic fields.
Joe Creason Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 972 reviews
Large city-run green area with hiking & running trails, tennis courts, sports fields & picnic spots.
Veterans Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 946 reviews
Relaxed park area featuring a Gold Star veteran's monument, a tank, stream & picnic area.
England Idlewild Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 803 reviews
Open-space park with a dog park with a fenced-in area and biking and walking trails for sports, fishing and hiking.
Pope Lick Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 784 reviews
Vast, sprawling park, with paved and off-road trails for hiking, biking and kayaking, plus water features.
Seneca Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 776 reviews
Sports courts & fields, playgrounds, trails (including horseback riding) & an 18-hole golf course.
Stringtown Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 798 reviews
Recreational site with picnic tables, a children's playground, exercise stations & a walking trail.
Des Pres Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 759 reviews
Recreation venue offering baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, and a walking path.
Long Run Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 742 reviews
Clean park featuring a playground, a water area and picnic spaces.
The Parklands of Floyds Fork
4.8 ★★★★★ 672 reviews
String of green spaces along Floyds Fork stream with lawns, playgrounds, canoeing & forest trails.
Where these trails are
The cities in this ranking, if you'd rather start from where you live.
- Running trails in Owensboro, KY
- Running trails in Louisville, KY
- Running trails in Ashland, KY
- Running trails in Lexington, KY
- Running trails in St Matthews, KY
- Running trails in Fort Thomas, KY
- Running trails in Elizabethtown, KY
- Running trails in Union, KY
- Running trails in Burlington, KY
- Running trails in Florence, KY