Running trails in Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville has 28 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 11 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 11 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 24 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 27,859 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.
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 7,450 reviews
Park offering surfing & swimming in the ocean plus fishing & boating in a lake, as well as hiking.
Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,784 reviews
This 120 acre arboretum provides rustic trails through the woods & labelled plant life.
Little Talbot Island State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,825 reviews
Barrier-island nature area with sandy beaches & activities such as kayaking, surfing & picnicking.
Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,678 reviews
Historic coastal nature preserve with wetland, salt marsh & hardwood forest habitats.
Losco Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,902 reviews
City green space with a modern play structure & a splash pad, plus snacks, picnic tables & grills.
Big Talbot Island State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,705 reviews
Picnics, hiking, boating & nature study on an island with diverse habitats, from bluffs to beaches.
Castaway Island Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 974 reviews
Raised trails run through this undeveloped wetland preserve with scenic overlooks along the way.
Julington Durbin Creek Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 841 reviews
Nature trail network for exploring extensive floodplain wetlands, diverse wildlife & lush woods.
Reddie Point Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 834 reviews
Lush, riverfront recreation space with a fishing dock, picnic shelters & trails on 102 acres.
Blue Cypress Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 761 reviews
Sports park featuring golf and tennis courts, walking trails and playgrounds, plus a pier and dock.
Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail - Imeson Road Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 639 reviews
Linear park along a former railway line, with a 14.5-mi. paved trail for walking & cycling.
Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 528 reviews
Wooded hiking trails & boardwalks, plus a playground, visitors center & observation tower.
Bulls Bay Preserve
4.2 ★★★★☆ 523 reviews
Hilly, wooded nature preserve featuring hiking and biking trails, a waterfall and ponds.
University Of North Florida Nature Trails
4.6 ★★★★★ 463 reviews
Walking and hiking trails with ponds and boardwalks.
Spanish Pond Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 430 reviews
Hiking area featuring scenic, kid-friendly trails, and opportunities for bird watching.
The Beach and Peach Urban Bike Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 291 reviews
Small, low-key swath of green space with unpaved biking & hiking trails & a fishing pond.
Tillie Fowler Park Loop Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 256 reviews
Popular location with an observation deck, wooded trails and a dog park.
Theodore Roosevelt Area at Timucuan Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 166 reviews
Tranquil nature area featuring miles of woodland trails, a bird observation platform & restrooms.
Ortega Stream Valley Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 171 reviews
Recreational area with a playground, picnic tables, and hiking trails, plus tennis courts.
Betz-Tiger Point Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Natural destination featuring trails for kayaking, fishing and hiking as well as a picnic area with covered tables.
Riverwalk
4.7 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Waterfront walkway featuring cityscape views and an arts market.
Seaton Creek Preserve – Main Entrance & Trailhead
4.2 ★★★★☆ 129 reviews
Woodsy area with walking, hiking, biking and equestrian trails, plus kayak launch areas.
Little Talbot Island South Loop Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 102 reviews
Tranquil beach with dunes, driftwood, shells and picnic facilities.
Dutton Island Preserve I
4.5 ★★★★★ 62 reviews
Scenic preserve, noted for the fishing, camping and hiking trails.
S-Line Urban Greenway Myrtle Trailhead
3.9 ★★★★☆ 16 reviews
Nature Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 12 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Jacksonville
- Match the surface to your legs. Jacksonville gives you a choice: 9 mixed, 4 paved, 4 natural surface, and 2 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 mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 11 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 Jacksonville is University Of North Florida Nature Trails at 85 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Jacksonville are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 24 of the 28 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. 19 have trailhead parking, 23 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Jacksonville. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 11 shaded, 6 with mile markers, 17 that runners describe as quiet, 12 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 Jacksonville trails by type
- Mixed trails
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk 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
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Jacksonville
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