Running trails in DeLand, FL
DeLand has 12 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 boardwalk, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, and 5 shaded. 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 4,926 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.
Earl Brown Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,581 reviews
Green space featuring a fitness trail, duck pond, play equipment & a skateboard/bike park.
Hontoon Island Adventures
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,126 reviews
Natural park offers family-friendly activities for all ages including canoe rentals & a picnic area.
Bill Dreggors Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 741 reviews
Exhibits on local history plus whimsical elephant & toy displays & a sensory butterfly garden.
Lake Beresford Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 722 reviews
Natural 210-acre park surrounded by a biking, skating & walking trail plus playgrounds & pavilions.
Hontoon Island State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 183 reviews
Serene, family-friendly park on an island featuring cabins, trails, camping, bike rentals, and canoe rentals.
St. Francis Yellow Trail
4.1 ★★★★☆ 145 reviews
Loop trail totaling nearly 8 mi. with varied terrain including boardwalks and a log bridge.
Jackson Lane Memorial Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 128 reviews
Renovated park featuring a playground, picnic benches, nature trail, and basketball court.
Spring Hill Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 120 reviews
Public park with a children's playground and a restroom.
Painter's Pond Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 84 reviews
Small wooded park with ponds, ducks and artwork such as murals.
Longleaf Pine Preserve
4.4 ★★★★☆ 62 reviews
Wildlife-rich preserve featuring 7 miles of well-maintained trails for hiking, cycling, and camping.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in DeLand
- Match the surface to your legs. DeLand gives you a choice: 4 paved, 2 natural surface, and 1 boardwalk. 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? 5 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 DeLand is Bill Dreggors Park at 16 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 8 of the 12 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in DeLand. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 4 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 DeLand trails by type
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near DeLand
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.