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Running trails in Naugatuck, CT
Naugatuck has 6 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 open 24 hours. 5 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 977 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.
Naugatuck State Forest
4.6 ★★★★★ 543 reviews
Densely wooded state park offering fishing, hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing & more.
Linden Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 171 reviews
Recreational area with a playground and equipment for skateboarding, basketball, and tennis.
Larkin State Bridle Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 143 reviews
Picturesque 10.3-mile trail along a former railroad used for horse riding, cycling & hiking.
Whittemore Glen State Park Scenic Reserve
4.4 ★★★★☆ 87 reviews
Wild area for hiking & horseback riding on trails that wind through a landscape of trees & hillside.
Spruce Brook Trail
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Naugatuck
- Match the surface to your legs. Naugatuck gives you a choice: 1 paved and 1 mixed. 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Naugatuck is Larkin State Bridle Trail at 10.3 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Naugatuck is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 6 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. 1 has trailhead parking in Naugatuck. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 5 dog-friendly. 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 Naugatuck trails by type
Running trails near Naugatuck
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.