Running trails in Ponce Inlet, FL
Ponce Inlet has 3 trails in the directory — 3 boardwalk, 2 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 2,337 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.
Lighthouse Point Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,690 reviews
Relaxed beach and park featuring a jetty, plus an educational lighthouse, dog-friendly areas and hiking trails.
Ponce Inlet Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 528 reviews
City park featuring a boardwalk, a beach, a playground, and a kayak launch.
Ponce Inlet Preserve fishing dock
4.7 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Free destination for beachgoers, anglers and picnickers, with boardwalks through dunes and a pier.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Ponce Inlet
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is boardwalk (3 of 3). 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Ponce Inlet is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 3 of the 3 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. 2 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Ponce Inlet. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 1 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Ponce Inlet trails by type
Running trails near Ponce Inlet
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.