Running trails in Clearwater, FL
Clearwater has 11 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 5 boardwalk, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 8 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 15,419 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.
Sand Key Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 10,440 reviews
Expansive white-sand beach offering plenty of room for picnics, surfing & other outdoor activities.
Crest Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,911 reviews
Venue featuring lakeside trails, playgrounds, fishing & picnic areas, plus a 3-acre dog park.
Cliff Stephens Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 909 reviews
Creekside green space with a boat launch & fishing area, plus disc golf, trails & picnic spots.
Alligator Kapok Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 840 reviews
Tranquil park featuring a wetlands boardwalk, walking/biking trails & native wildlife.
Glen Oaks Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 468 reviews
Waterfront neighborhood park with ball fields, paved walking trails & 3 fishing piers.
Forest Run Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 340 reviews
Public recreation space with basketball, handball & tennis courts, plus a playground & trails.
Edgewater Drive Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 203 reviews
Relaxing, family-friendly park on the waterfront, offering scenic trails for walking, biking and running.
Ream Wilson Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 173 reviews
Kid-friendly playground and park featuring basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, plus a zip line.
Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 98 reviews
Bridge crossing Tampa Bay with a cycling and rollerblading trail and water views.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Clearwater
- Match the surface to your legs. Clearwater gives you a choice: 5 boardwalk, 2 paved, and 2 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 boardwalk 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Clearwater are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 8 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 8 have a water fountain in Clearwater. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 5 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 Clearwater trails by type
Running trails near Clearwater
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.