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Running Trails in St. Louis: A Local Guide
St. Louis, Missouri has 47 trails in this directory — 16 paved, 1 crushed limestone or gravel, 1 natural-surface dirt and 1 boardwalk. Of those, 5 are loops you can run without backtracking, 10 run under tree canopy and 9 publish a measured distance (the longest is 24 mi). 11 are open 24 hours, which is what you want if you run before work.
The running here leans toward smooth corridors — greenways, rail-trails and multi-use paths rather than woodland singletrack — which makes St. Louis an easy place to hold a steady pace and rack up long-run miles.
What the running is like in St. Louis
- Paved (16). Asphalt and concrete greenways and multi-use paths — fast, predictable, runnable year-round, and the surface that stays usable through winter and after rain. Expect to share them with cyclists.
- Crushed limestone and gravel (1). The rail-trail classic — packed firm enough to hold an even pace, with noticeably more give than pavement. The best long-run surface in most towns.
- Natural surface (1). Dirt paths, doubletrack and singletrack. Softest underfoot and the most fun to run, but expect roots, rocks and mud for days after rain.
- Boardwalk (1). Elevated decking over wetland or dunes. Flat and scenic, and slick when wet.
- Loops (5). Start and finish at your car with no backtracking and no shuttle — the shape most runners want.
- Long-run trails (4). Enough continuous distance for a real long run without repeating the same mile six times.
- Shaded (10). Tree canopy, which in July is the difference between a pleasant run and a heat trap.
- Lit for night runs (3). Floodlit paths for dark mornings and after-work runs.
- Flat and fast (5). Even grade, no surprises — the profile for steady miles and pace work.
- Hilly (3). Real climbing if you want vert. Power-hiking the steep sections is normal, not failure.
- Scenic (21). Waterfront, river and park routes where the miles go by faster.
6 trails to start with
Ranked by what local runners say — rating weighted by review count. Open any of them for surface, loop distance, hours and what the reviews mention.
Forest Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 34,419 reviews
Opened in 1876, this 1,300-acre park includes 3 museums, a zoo, athletic fields & golf courses.
Gateway Arch National Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 15,644 reviews
Park honoring Jefferson's role in western expansion, featuring the Gateway Arch & visitors' center.
Tower Grove Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 7,976 reviews
1868 park that shows its history with carriage rides, grass tennis courts, a wading pool & a gazebo.
Carondelet Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 3,360 reviews
City green space with 2 small stocked fishing ponds, one with pergolas shading the docks.
Cliff Cave County Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,189 reviews
Long limestone formation gated to protect bats, with natural grounds & river for picnics & hiking.
Lafayette Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,586 reviews
30-acre city park, circa 1851, with a lake & historic elements like cannons & an 1867 house.
How to pick one
Start with the run you're actually doing, not the prettiest photo. For a long run, look for a continuous corridor with a known distance — a rail-trail or greenway with mile markers beats a park with a tangle of short spurs, and remember that "miles of trails" is a system total, not a route you can run. For an easy day, natural surface is kinder to the legs. For a tempo, you want predictable footing, so paved or crushed stone.
Then check the practical stuff: trailhead parking (19 here) , restrooms (18) , water fountains (7) . Running with a dog? 14trails are flagged dog-friendly. 8arestroller and wheelchair accessible.
And check the hours before you drive out. Plenty of parks close at dusk and gate the lot, so a trail that works at 6pm in June is locked at 6pm in November. Trail conditions move too — natural-surface paths stay muddy for days after rain, low-lying greenways flood, and sections close for construction — so the most recent reviews on a listing are worth thirty seconds of your time.
More running in St. Louis
Browse every trail on the St. Louis trails page, or widen the search to running trails across Missouri. You can also browse by surface, by feature, or check the best-rated trails.
New to trails? Read how to start trail running and what to bring on a trail run. Sharing a busy greenway with cyclists? Trail running etiquette. Running before sunrise or after work? Running trails at night.