Running trails in Round Lake, IL
Round Lake has 9 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 5 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 1,410 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.
Nippersink Forest Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 667 reviews
Scenic preserve with lakes, woodlands & marshes, popular for hiking, picnics & wildlife viewing.
Fairfield Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.8 ★★★★★ 237 reviews
Seasonal outdoor swimming pool with splash pad, interactive nature trail & indoor wildlife exhibits.
Hart's Woods Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.5 ★★★★★ 190 reviews
Fenced outdoor area for kids that also has swings, slides and picnic tables.
Hart's Hill Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.6 ★★★★★ 73 reviews
Park where visitors can pursue activities such as sledding, running, and walking.
Marl Flat Forest Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 60 reviews
Nature preserve with trails, a pond, and a disc golf course.
Heron View Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.5 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Shaw Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.7 ★★★★★ 45 reviews
Relaxed park featuring playground equipment, a basketball court, and a walking track.
Prairie Walk Park - Round Lake Area Park District
4.3 ★★★★☆ 23 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Round Lake
- Match the surface to your legs. Round Lake gives you a choice: 1 paved, 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 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Round Lake is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Round Lake. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 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 Round Lake trails by type
Running trails near Round Lake
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.