Running trails in Moline, IL
Moline has 9 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 with a stated distance, and 2 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 2,725 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.
Ben Butterworth Parkway West
4.6 ★★★★★ 813 reviews
50-acre park offering a fishing pier, boat launch & playground, plus picnic shelters & paved trails.
Prospect Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 572 reviews
Recreation spot with a kids' playground, walking trails & a fishing pond, plus disc golf & baseball.
Sylvan Island
4.6 ★★★★★ 477 reviews
Former industrial site by the water, offering crushed limestone hiking trails & dirt bike paths.
Stephens Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 434 reviews
Unpretentious option offering multiple athletic fields, playgrounds & picnic pavilions.
Browning Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 174 reviews
Clean park featuring playground equipment, a track and a stadium.
Sylvan Island Gateway Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 148 reviews
Park featuring paved walking and biking paths, a bridge leading to hiking trails, and fishing.
Harold's Landing Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 107 reviews
Picnic-friendly recreational area near the Rock River, with a boat ramp and a swing.
Park Trails | Prospect Park
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Moline
- Match the surface to your legs. Moline gives you a choice: 2 paved, 2 mixed, and 1 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Moline is Ben Butterworth Parkway West at 54 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Moline are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Moline. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 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 Moline trails by type
Running trails near Moline
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.