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Running trails in St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg has 21 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 3 boardwalk, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 7 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 13 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 20,678 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.
Sawgrass Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 4,682 reviews
Swamp conservation area with a mile-long boardwalk & a 1/2-mile dirt path for wildlife observation.
Weedon Island Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,649 reviews
3,190-acre nature reserve with hiking paths, birdwatching, a paddling trail & canoe/kayak rentals.
Crescent Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,817 reviews
Lakeside park featuring scenic views, tennis courts, a baseball field, playgrounds & a dog park.
Demens Landing Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,092 reviews
City park with a playground, picnic shelter, boat ramps & restrooms beside the water.
Maximo Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,976 reviews
This 70-acre oceanside park features a covered playground, boat ramps, an Indian midden site & more.
Walter Fuller Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,538 reviews
Park with a lake and shaded trails has dog parks and baseball fields.
Abercrombie Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,083 reviews
Relaxed waterfront park with walking paths and benches.
Flora Wylie Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 871 reviews
11.4 bayfront acres with a paved promenade, benches, lawn areas for picnics & a sundial.
South Straub Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 760 reviews
Recreational green space on 7.3 acres by the marina, featuring walking trails & a scenic fountain.
Raymond H. Neri Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 414 reviews
Large unspoiled park & bird habitat with a paved lakeside trail & plenty of open green space.
Clam Bayou Nature Preserve - Kayak Launch
4.6 ★★★★★ 276 reviews
Serene, scenic nature preserve with bay views & a kayak launch, plus a trail for walking & biking.
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Visitor Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 181 reviews
Nature preserve offering guided tram tours, reptile exhibits and a playground, plus rescued birds.
Clam Bayou Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 92 reviews
Piers and trails for hiking, cycling or dog walks, plus kayak launches.
Bear Creek Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Open green space for sports and other activities such as kite-flying and drone-flying.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in St. Petersburg
- Match the surface to your legs. St. Petersburg gives you a choice: 3 paved, 3 boardwalk, and 3 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? 2 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 St. Petersburg is Access to Pinellas Trail at 47 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in St. Petersburg is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 21 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in St. Petersburg. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 7 shaded, 10 that runners describe as quiet, 12 dog-friendly, and 13 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 St. Petersburg trails by type
Running trails near St. Petersburg
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.