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Running trails in Windsor, CT
Windsor has 5 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 4 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 1,394 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.
Northwest Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,024 reviews
City park covering 473 acres on a reservoir with trails, a nature center, maple sugaring & concerts.
Windsor Meadows State Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 201 reviews
Riverside park with undeveloped forest, entrance to popular trails & the Bissell Bridge Boat Launch.
Windsor Center River Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 81 reviews
Kid-friendly, peaceful paved trail with scenic river views.
John R Welch Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 74 reviews
Clean public park featuring a playground and baseball fields, plus a swimming pool.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Windsor
- Match the surface to your legs. Windsor gives you a choice: 2 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 mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Windsor is Windsor Meadows State Park at 1.8 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Windsor is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 5 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. 3 have trailhead parking and 2 have restrooms in Windsor. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Windsor trails by type
Running trails near Windsor
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.