Running trails in Cartersville, GA
Cartersville has 14 trails in the directory — 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 2 open 24 hours. 9 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 4,806 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.
Dellinger Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,723 reviews
111-acre park with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, a running trail & sports fields.
Pine Mountain Trail, West
4.8 ★★★★★ 828 reviews
Strenuous loop trail with some steep & rocky sections climbing to the top of a 1,562-ft. mountain.
Allatoona Pass Battlefield
4.7 ★★★★★ 660 reviews
Battle site with a walking trail, picnicking, and fishing.
Hamilton Crossing Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 646 reviews
Amenities such as children's play areas, baseball fields, tennis courts & a walking/jogging trail.
Cooper's Furnace Day Use Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 413 reviews
Serene, tree-shaded option with historical markers, hiking trails & covered picnic spots.
Riverside Day Use Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 236 reviews
Charming park abutting a 164-mile waterway featuring a playground, walking trails & boating access.
Iron Hill Trail Head
4.8 ★★★★★ 120 reviews
Easy loop trail around a lake that's popular for hiking, biking, and picnicking.
Pine Mountain Overlook
4.8 ★★★★★ 78 reviews
Scenic views are the reward for hiking 1.2 mi. up Pine Mountain's west or east trails.
Clarence Benham Park
4 ★★★★☆ 44 reviews
Leake Mounds-Etowah Riverwalk Connector Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 20 reviews
Trail Connector At Coopers Furnace
4.9 ★★★★★ 17 reviews
Vineyard Mountain trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 10 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Cartersville
- Match the surface to your legs. Cartersville gives you a choice: 3 natural surface and 1 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 natural surface 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Cartersville are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 14 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. 6 have trailhead parking and 6 have restrooms in Cartersville. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Cartersville trails by type
Running trails near Cartersville
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.