Running trails in McHenry, IL
McHenry has 5 trails in the directory — 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 open 24 hours. 3 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 2,845 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.
Moraine Hills State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,071 reviews
2,200+ acres of glacier-formed park with woods, wetlands & lakes for year-round sports & recreation.
Petersen Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 508 reviews
Lakeside park with baseball & softball fields, tennis courts, play areas & picnic facilities.
Knox Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 174 reviews
Park offering a pool, a playground and a skatepark and featuring tennis, baseball and soccer fields.
Fort McHenry Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 88 reviews
Spacious park featuring a splash pad for cooling off in summer, along with picnic tables and playground equipment.
Liberty Trails Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in McHenry
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is mixed (1 of 5). 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 mixed 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 McHenry is Moraine Hills State Park at 10 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in McHenry is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 3 of the 5 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in McHenry. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 2 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 McHenry trails by type
Running trails near McHenry
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.