Running trails in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta has 43 trails in the directory — 11 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 9 loops that return to the trailhead, 7 with a stated distance, 11 shaded, and 5 open 24 hours. 30 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 31,069 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.
Piedmont Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 17,919 reviews
Sprawling park featuring jogging paths, basketball courts, dog parks, a farmers' market & more.
Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 2,315 reviews
Forested 120-acre nature preserve with a trail, waterfall, streams, parking lot & picnic tables.
Freedom Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,901 reviews
Green space on 200 acres boasting trails, sculptures & a butterfly garden, plus a farmer's market.
Murphey Candler Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,503 reviews
135-acre park offering walking trails around a lake, a swimming pool, sports fields & picnic areas.
East Palisades Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 905 reviews
Forest, dog-friendly area featuring a river and hiking trails, plus kayaking.
Morningside Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 898 reviews
This forested tract with paths for running, hiking & biking also features a scenic creek.
Brookhaven Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 678 reviews
Shaded recreation complex with multi-use sports fields, a dog park, community center & playground.
Blue Heron Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 548 reviews
30-acre nature preserve with a trail, creek & wildflowers, plus environmental education for kids.
Tanyard Creek Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 504 reviews
Recreation area in a former railroad corridor featuring a trail with wood footbridges & playgrounds.
Trammell Crow Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 469 reviews
Neighborhood park with a playground, picnic and barbecue facilities, tennis courts, and a walking trail.
Deepdene Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 250 reviews
The largest section of Olmsted Linear Park, this wildland area features trails, trees & a creek.
Doll's Head Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 249 reviews
Park featuring a boardwalk and sculptures made from trash.
Palisades West Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 224 reviews
Forested loop trail featuring a boardwalk section & scenic views of the river & rock outcrops.
Northside Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 213 reviews
Wooded walking/cycling path through picturesque scenery, including a covered bridge & a creek.
The Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 163 reviews
Multiuse trail for walking, biking or jogging through the city past restaurants.
Briarlake Forest Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 152 reviews
Pretty park featuring an old homestead and peaceful trails.
Hahn Woods
4.6 ★★★★★ 151 reviews
Wooded park featuring creek-side trails and a small waterfall.
Elwyn John Wildlife Sanctuary
4.6 ★★★★★ 150 reviews
Petite conservation area featuring wooded walking trails, picnic tables & viewing platforms.
Pleasantdale Park
4 ★★★★☆ 162 reviews
Soccer field featuring picnic tables and a playground.
Daniel Johnson Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 124 reviews
Tranquil green space with a creek & a network of unpaved trails shaded by mature trees.
Tucson Trail Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 119 reviews
Bob Callan Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 77 reviews
Paved hiking trail along a creek with opportunities to rent bikes and fish.
Proctor Creek Greenway - North End
4.8 ★★★★★ 55 reviews
Hiking area featuring a scenic trail with sitting spots that connects West Highlands to Westside Park.
Zonolite Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
Wooded nature park featuring creek access, walking paths, and a community garden.
Beltline Access
4.7 ★★★★★ 37 reviews
Oldcastle Nature Trail at Marcus Center
4.5 ★★★★★ 34 reviews
Wooded half-mile trail featuring varied overlooks and a meditation area, plus a lawn for dogs.
Piedmont Park And Eastside BeltLine Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 22 reviews
Ashford Forest Preserve Park Lane Trailhead
4.3 ★★★★☆ 16 reviews
Phoenix Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Atlanta
- Match the surface to your legs. Atlanta gives you a choice: 11 paved, 6 mixed, 3 crushed gravel, 3 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 9 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 Atlanta is Bob Callan Trailhead at 6 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Atlanta are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 30 of the 43 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 5 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 25 have trailhead parking, 15 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Atlanta. 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, 3 with mile markers, 22 that runners describe as quiet, 22 dog-friendly, and 6 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 Atlanta trails by type
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Crushed gravel 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 Atlanta
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.