Running trails in Orlando, FL
Orlando has 24 trails in the directory — 14 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 7 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 with a stated distance, 10 shaded, and 4 open 24 hours. 19 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 40,280 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.
Lake Eola Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 24,640 reviews
Popular spot for walking, special events, feeding the swans & renting swan-shaped paddleboats.
Bill Frederick Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,182 reviews
This 183-acre park on Turkey Lake offers fishing, boating & a playground, plus cabin & tent camping.
Blue Jacket Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,898 reviews
Sports, recreation, loop path & picnic areas amid stone structures & a fountain on 75 acres.
Lake Underhill Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,847 reviews
Lakefront neighborhood park with a loop path, exercise equipment, a boat ramp & local birdlife.
Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,355 reviews
County park with a butterfly garden, interpretive trails & nature center with educational programs.
Shadow Bay Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,381 reviews
This scenic park provides hiking/biking trails, wildlife, sand dunes & a full-service tennis center.
Dickson Azalea Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 982 reviews
Urban green space featuring shady trees, spots for bird-watching, flowing water & picnic sites.
Eagle Nest Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 828 reviews
Outdoor park providing paved walking trails, softball fields, picnic pavilions & eagle sightings.
Rose Place Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 567 reviews
Relaxed outdoor space featuring picnic tables, playgrounds with slides, and fields for games.
Lake Druid Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 487 reviews
A 19-acre lakeside park with mountain biking facilities, trails, a sand volleyball court & dog run.
Shingle Creek Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 488 reviews
Nature preserve offering hiking and biking trails that are good for kids.
Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 435 reviews
Nearly 2,000 largely undeveloped acres offering wildlife viewing, horseback riding & hiking trails.
Gaston Edwards Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 444 reviews
Linear lakefront park with a playground, fitness area, cycling & jogging trails & grills.
Lake Highland Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 144 reviews
Urban park on a lake with walking trails, open spaces fishing areas & views of the city skyline.
Little Econ Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Paved multiuse trail with wildlife viewing & stops for fishing, picnicking & kayaking/canoeing.
Shingle Creek Trail: Pine Island East Loop
4.1 ★★★★☆ 89 reviews
This 3.4-mile trail for hikers, runners & mountain-bikers offers a river with canoe access.
Apopka-Vineland Outpost
4.5 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Tree-lined trail for walking or biking featuring a picnic shelter.
Cady Way Trail Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 48 reviews
Park offering a path for walking, biking, and skating, plus picnic tables.
Shingle Creek Regional Trail
3.8 ★★★★☆ 42 reviews
Paved trail system through the headwaters of the Everglades, featuring alligators and birds.
Laureate Park Trailhead (Adventure Park)
4.6 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Orlando
- Match the surface to your legs. Orlando gives you a choice: 14 paved, 2 natural surface, 2 boardwalk, 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? 7 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 Orlando is Lake Underhill Park at 75 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Orlando are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 19 of the 24 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 12 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 20 have trailhead parking, 15 have restrooms, and 10 have a water fountain in Orlando. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 10 shaded, 4 with mile markers, 10 that runners describe as quiet, 14 dog-friendly, and 12 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 Orlando trails by type
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- 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 Orlando
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.