Running trails in Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee has 22 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 5 boardwalk, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 11 shaded, and 7 open 24 hours. 17 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 16,614 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.
Cascades Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 5,229 reviews
24-acre recreational hub with paved trails, an amphitheater, historical landmarks & a war memorial.
Lake Ella Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 2,421 reviews
Park with a playground, picnic tables, and a gazebo, plus many geese and ducks.
Tom Brown Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,864 reviews
Baseball diamonds, a BMX track & lakeside nature walks in a vast, landscaped urban green space.
Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,823 reviews
Centered around manicured gardens, this park also features trails, swimming, fishing & kayaking.
Lafayette Heritage Trail Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,213 reviews
Picturesque park known for its multi-use trails, wooden pedestrian bridge, fishing & boating.
San Luis Mission Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 965 reviews
Urban green space housing a dog park, lake & boardwalk, plus picnic shelters, a playground & trails.
J. R. Alford Greenway
4.9 ★★★★★ 648 reviews
Wooded trails & open terrain for hikers, mountain bikers & equestrians, with horse trailer parking.
Fred George Greenway Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 614 reviews
Expansive park featuring baseball and soccer fields as well as kids' play equipment.
Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 572 reviews
6 miles of canopied trails for hiking, jogging, cycling & horseback riding, with 4 parking areas.
AJ Henry Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 292 reviews
Shaded, family-friendly park featuring trails around a lake and a pond.
Governor's Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 290 reviews
Large park featuring grassy open areas & wooded spaces for picnicking, jogging & more.
Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 166 reviews
Paved trail for hiking, biking & skating following former cotton trade railway route for 20.5 mi.
St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail - North Trailhead
4.9 ★★★★★ 84 reviews
Public park featuring a paved bike trail that's mostly shaded with a water stop.
Jackson View Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 93 reviews
Green space with picnic tables, a playground and a pier, plus nature trails and open areas.
Miccosukee Greenway Thornton Rd Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 67 reviews
Greenway with several well-maintained hiking and jogging trails through native Florida forest.
Debbie Lightsey Nature Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 64 reviews
Paved, gravel-covered walking paths, boardwalks and an overlook in a park, with shaded picnic areas.
Miccosukee Greenway Fleischmann Rd Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Park offering wooded trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Fred George Basin Greenway
4.5 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Park with nature trails and picnic facilities.
East Cadillac Trailhead
4.9 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Tallahassee
- Match the surface to your legs. Tallahassee gives you a choice: 5 boardwalk, 4 mixed, 2 paved, and 2 crushed gravel. 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? 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 Tallahassee is Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail at 22 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 7 trails in Tallahassee are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 17 of the 22 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. 15 have trailhead parking, 16 have restrooms, and 10 have a water fountain in Tallahassee. 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, 13 that runners describe as quiet, 13 dog-friendly, and 8 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 Tallahassee trails by type
- Boardwalk trails
- Mixed trails
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel 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
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Tallahassee
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.