Running trails in Ottawa, IL

How to pick a trail in Ottawa

• Match the surface to your legs. Ottawa gives you a choice: 1 crushed gravel and 1 natural surface. 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 crushed gravel 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 Ottawa is Illinois Canyon at 1 mi.
• 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 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
• Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking and 2 have restrooms in Ottawa. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 2 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 Ottawa trails by type

• Crushed gravel trails (1 in Ottawa)
• Natural surface trails (1 in Ottawa)
• Shaded trails (1 in Ottawa)
• Flat & fast (4 in Ottawa)
• Hilly trails (1 in Ottawa)
• Scenic trails (6 in Ottawa)
• Trails with restrooms (2 in Ottawa)
• Trailhead parking (5 in Ottawa)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (2 in Ottawa)
• Dog-friendly (2 in Ottawa)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (2 in Ottawa)

Running trails near Ottawa

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

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