Running trails in Marietta, GA
Marietta has 24 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 9 on crushed gravel or dirt, 6 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 19 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 9,459 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.
East Cobb Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,052 reviews
Public park offering playgrounds, walking paths, picnic areas, fields & creek overlooks.
Terrell Mill Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,182 reviews
A soccer field & 4 softball fields, picnic pavilions, a playground & a tennis center.
Tumlin Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 924 reviews
Urban park for the public with lawns as well as a large playground & sports fields.
Sope Creek Paper Mill Ruins
4.7 ★★★★★ 921 reviews
19th century stone paper mill destroyed during the Civil War overlooking a creek with trail access.
Cochran Shoals Unit, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 756 reviews
Park trail for biking & moderately challenging hikes with scenic views of the river.
Cochran Shoals Trail - River Loop
4.8 ★★★★★ 588 reviews
Riverside park featuring a mix of trails for hiking and biking, plus picnic space.
Kennesaw Mountain Summit
4.9 ★★★★★ 532 reviews
Trails and a parking lot are found at this park, which features hiking and scenic views.
Cochran Shoals Unit - Interstate North
4.7 ★★★★★ 455 reviews
Easy, wide trail following the Chattahoochee River, plus ponds.
Gold Branch Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 431 reviews
Picturesque, waterfront area featuring a 3.8-mile loop trail through the forest & wildlife views.
Green Meadows Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 283 reviews
Relaxed open-air park featuring interconnected trails, picnic spaces and a disc golf course.
Wildwood Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 262 reviews
This 28-acre space features jogging & hiking trails, a playground & an off-leash dog park.
Noonday Creek Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 195 reviews
Paved trail for biking, walking and running, featuring creeks and green space.
McFarlane Nature Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 128 reviews
Nature preserve with walking trails and open fields for picnics and group events.
A.L. Burruss Nature Park
3.7 ★★★★☆ 147 reviews
This 45-acre park offers hiking & biking trails through the forest, plus picnic areas.
Cochran Shoals Unit Sope Creek
4.7 ★★★★★ 91 reviews
Scenic creekside park, featuring mountain biking and hiking trails, plus ruined mills.
Sope Creek Mountain Bike Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 86 reviews
Hilly, kid-friendly spot for hikers and cyclists that features mountain-biking trails and creek views.
Noonday Creek Trail (Access Point)
4.6 ★★★★★ 81 reviews
Paved route for biking and walking, as well as hiking and running.
Kennesaw Mountain Drive Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 60 reviews
Park featuring kid-friendly hiking trails, picnic tables, and a public restroom.
Little Kennesaw Mountain
4.9 ★★★★★ 42 reviews
Well-known locale for hiking trails, some with scenic views, plus boulders, deer and wildflowers.
Bells Ferry Trailhead at Noonday Creek
4.5 ★★★★★ 21 reviews
Kennesaw Park Green
4.4 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Marietta
- Match the surface to your legs. Marietta gives you a choice: 7 natural surface, 4 paved, 3 mixed, 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 6 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 Marietta is Gold Branch Trailhead at 3.8 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Marietta are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 19 of the 24 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. 18 have trailhead parking, 13 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Marietta. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 5 with mile markers, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 14 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Marietta trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Loop trails
- 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 Marietta
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.