Running trails in Dalton, GA
Dalton has 12 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 6 with a stated distance, and 4 open 24 hours. 8 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 2,079 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.
Harlan Godfrey Civitan Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 690 reviews
Neighborhood park offering a paved walking track, playground, picnic pavilion & BBQ grills.
Haig Mill Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 628 reviews
Kid-friendly trail around the lake, plus kayak and canoe rentals and fishing.
George W. Disney Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 215 reviews
Steep trail to the top of a mountain with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Raisin Woods Mountain Bike Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 170 reviews
Mountain bikers at all levels can ride one of 7 courses at this dedicated outdoor nature park.
Rocky Face Ridge Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 111 reviews
Popular park with mountain biking and hiking trails offering scenic views.
Dalton State College Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 61 reviews
Hiking area with kid-friendly options, well-marked trails, and scenic viewpoints.
Waterfall Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 61 reviews
Roadside park with picnic tables, plus a creek featuring small waterfalls.
Haig Mill Lake
4.8 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Dalton
- Match the surface to your legs. Dalton gives you a choice: 4 natural surface, 2 paved, 1 boardwalk, and 1 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Dalton is Dug Gap Trailhead at 15.7 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Dalton are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 8 of the 12 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. 5 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Dalton. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, and 3 dog-friendly. 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 Dalton trails by type
Running trails near Dalton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.