Best running trails in Missouri
Ranked by the runners who actually run there — Google rating weighted by review volume, across 281,362 reviews of Missouri trails. A trail needs at least 25 reviews to qualify (239 in Missouri do) and each name appears once. Nobody pays for a place. Updated 2026.
The 20 below run across 14 cities, 9 of them paved, 4 loops, 7 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.
Forest Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 34,419 reviews
Opened in 1876, this 1,300-acre park includes 3 museums, a zoo, athletic fields & golf courses.
Tower Grove Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 7,976 reviews
1868 park that shows its history with carriage rides, grass tennis courts, a wading pool & a gazebo.
Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 4,735 reviews
20+ landscaped botanical gardens, with BBQ/picnic areas, a lake & a native butterfly house.
Carondelet Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 3,360 reviews
City green space with 2 small stocked fishing ponds, one with pergolas shading the docks.
Berkley Riverfront
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,101 reviews
Downtown green space along the Missouri River features broad biking & walking paths & open fields.
Frontier Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,588 reviews
Community event site with a large Lewis & Clark statue featuring a stage & a paved biking trail.
Creve Coeur Park Picnic Site 1
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,528 reviews
Public park featuring a sailboat lake, plus family areas with spray-fountain playgrounds for kids.
Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area (Cosmo Park)
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,803 reviews
Columbia's largest park, with ball fields, tennis courts, a golf course, trails & fishing ponds.
Phelps Grove Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,637 reviews
Roomy park with mature trees, a picnic pavilion, tennis courts & playground equipment.
Lafayette Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,586 reviews
30-acre city park, circa 1851, with a lake & historic elements like cannons & an 1867 house.
Saint Ferdinand Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,638 reviews
Family-friendly park equipped with a playground, baseball fields and picnic tables, and a pond where ducks like to congregate.
Cunningham Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,478 reviews
Park with picnic and play areas, a walking trail, basketball courts, a butterfly garden, and a memorial pool.
Lea McKeighan Park - South
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,402 reviews
Park featuring a shelter, a playground, a skate park, ball diamonds, volleyball courts & restrooms.
Table Rock Lakeshore Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,165 reviews
Peaceful trail alongside the lake with picnic spots and benches.
Hawn State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,006 reviews
Serene outdoor area offering hiking & bird-watching amid rocky streams & stunning vistas.
Veterans Tribute Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 932 reviews
Picnics and playgrounds abound at this park with a splash pad, trails and dog areas.
Heartland Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 842 reviews
Kid-friendly park with playground, swing sets trail, pond and shade.
Pickle Springs Natural Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 837 reviews
Popular trail features caves, steep formations and waterfalls.
Stocksdale Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 840 reviews
Green space with a playground, trails & multi-use athletic fields plus horseshoe pits & a dog park.
Stockstill Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 870 reviews
A dog-friendly park with a playground, a baseball field, a creek and a skate park.
Where these trails are
The cities in this ranking, if you'd rather start from where you live.
- Running trails in St. Louis, MO
- Running trails in Springfield, MO
- Running trails in Kansas City, MO
- Running trails in St Charles, MO
- Running trails in Maryland Heights, MO
- Running trails in Columbia, MO
- Running trails in Florissant, MO
- Running trails in Joplin, MO
- Running trails in Lee's Summit, MO
- Running trails in Branson, MO
- Running trails in Ste. Genevieve, MO
- Running trails in Wentzville, MO
- Running trails in New Offenburg, MO
- Running trails in Liberty, MO