Running trails in Littleton, CO
Littleton has 16 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 11 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 6,957 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.
Roxborough State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 2,717 reviews
Geological site with wildlife, hiking trails overlooking red-rock formations & a visitor's center.
South Valley Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,195 reviews
Scenic spot on 909 acres with mountain-bike, bridle & hiking trails, plus elk & mule deer sightings.
Deer Creek Canyon Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,180 reviews
Grassy escape where elk, bears & cougars coexist with hikers, bikers & such amid rolling hills.
Writers Vista Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 350 reviews
Park featuring a playground, plus a dog-friendly open space.
Hildebrand Ranch Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 350 reviews
1,450-acre park with prairie & mountain terrain featuring wildlife viewing & hiking trails.
South Valley Park South Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 257 reviews
Hiking area featuring scenic views, picnic tables, and a public restroom.
Jackass Hill Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 262 reviews
The distant mountains of the Front Range are visible from this tract of public open space.
Deer Creek Canyon Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 244 reviews
Hiking area with well-marked trails and picnic areas, plus scenic views.
Reynolds Landing
4.6 ★★★★★ 182 reviews
Public park featuring a playground, picnic areas, and a public restroom, plus river access.
South Valley Park, North Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 57 reviews
Mountainous area boasting red sandstone formations and multiple trails, along with picnic shelters.
Lee Gulch Overlook
4.5 ★★★★★ 50 reviews
Popular nature park with a pond featuring jogging and cycling trails plus wildlife-watching.
Dutch Creek Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Littleton
- Match the surface to your legs. Littleton gives you a choice: 3 natural surface, 2 paved, 2 mixed, and 1 crushed gravel. 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? 3 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 Littleton is Roxborough State Park at 15 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Littleton is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 16 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. 12 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Littleton. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Littleton trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Littleton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.