Running trails in Joliet, IL
Joliet has 12 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 4 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 2,663 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.
Pilcher Park Nature Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 828 reviews
Nature center with displays about local wildlife, picnic grounds & extensive hiking/biking trails.
Paul E. Briese Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 497 reviews
Rubber-floored playground with tall slides, grass and a small track.
Route 66 Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 498 reviews
Theme spot saluting the famed highway & The Blues Brothers with an old-time ice cream stand & paths.
Hadley Valley - Gougar Road Access
4.6 ★★★★★ 355 reviews
726-acre nature preserve with wildlife & a multi-use trail, plus a picnic shelter & trailer parking.
Joliet Iron Works Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 167 reviews
Tranquil park and historical ruins of a steel factory, plus trails for biking and walking.
Hadley Valley - Route 6 Access
4.6 ★★★★★ 112 reviews
Biking, walking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing & snowshoeing in a protected landscape.
Old Plank Road Trail - Washington Street Access
4.6 ★★★★★ 84 reviews
Tree-lined hiking area with paved trails for walking, biking, and running.
Colvin Grove Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 17 reviews
175 acres of forest & wetlands for biking, hiking, birding & cross-country skiing.
Rock Run Greenway
3.7 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Joliet
- Match the surface to your legs. Joliet gives you a choice: 4 paved, 2 crushed gravel, 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 paved 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. The longest stated distance in Joliet is Old Plank Road Trail - Park Road Access at 21 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 4 of the 12 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Joliet. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 2 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 Joliet trails by type
Running trails near Joliet
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.