Running trails in Boulder, CO
Boulder has 14 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 11 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 4 open 24 hours. 13 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 5,663 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.
Boulder Canyon Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 787 reviews
Scenic trail, paved and gravel, for biking and walking, with creek views.
Flatirons Vista
4.6 ★★★★★ 679 reviews
Flat, 3.3.-mile loop trail for hikers, bikers & wheelchairs with mountain vistas & facilities.
South Mesa Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 568 reviews
Hiking area with a range of trails from easy to challenging and a parking lot.
Gregory Canyon Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 563 reviews
Hiking area offering trails to the top of Green Mountain, plus an amphitheater.
Bobolink Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 557 reviews
Park for hiking, biking, running and other recreational activities, full of trees and wildflowers.
Wonderland Lake
4.7 ★★★★★ 514 reviews
Dog-friendly and popular trail featuring a lake, foothills and mountain views, plus a playground.
Marshall Mesa Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 507 reviews
Trailhead with a kiosk, picnic tables & hiking/biking, plus parking, wildlife watching & restrooms.
Davidson Mesa Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 473 reviews
Landscaped park with trails for biking and running (plus an off-leash dog park).
Lions Lair And Sunshine Canyon Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 437 reviews
Steep hiking path along a mountainside with scenic views of Boulder and Denver.
Centennial Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 221 reviews
Hiking spot featuring well-marked trails, views of the Front Range, and ample parking.
Flatirons Vista Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Scenic hiking trails with wildflower-filled meadows and views of the mountains.
Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 109 reviews
Rolling to flat, 3-mile loop for walking, hiking and cycling trails amid meadows and an active cattle ranch.
Doudy Draw Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 82 reviews
Outdoor area with flatiron views offering hiking and mountain biking trails.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Boulder
- Match the surface to your legs. Boulder gives you a choice: 5 natural surface, 4 mixed, and 1 paved. 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 11 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 Boulder is Flatirons Vista Trailhead at 3.5 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Boulder are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 14 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking and 11 have restrooms in Boulder. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 3 with mile markers, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 14 dog-friendly, and 9 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 Boulder trails by type
Running trails near Boulder
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.