Running trails in Fort Wayne, IN
Fort Wayne has 25 trails in the directory — 5 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 5 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 17 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 8,551 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.
Promenade Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,702 reviews
Relaxed park for families with river views and a riverside promenade. Includes picnic spots, a playground and a splash pad, plus canoes and kayaks for rent for use on the St. Marys River.
Franke Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,468 reviews
This 329-acre park features a playground, pavilions, fishing, a children's zoo & an outdoor theater.
Shoaff Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,255 reviews
Vast green space featuring a golf course with cart rentals, disc golf courses and playgrounds.
Fox Island County Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 983 reviews
County park offering swimming, fishing & grilling, plus a playground & a bird observatory.
Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 604 reviews
Protected, 756-acre wetlands & native wildlife habitat featuring 10+ miles of hiking trails.
Lindenwood Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 473 reviews
110 acres with a pond offers 4 hiking trails, picnicking, an open-air pavilion & wildlife-watching.
Salomon Farm Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 446 reviews
Donated by the Salomon family, this working farm teaches about working conditions in the 1930s.
Metea County Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 442 reviews
Cedar Creek, a state designated scenic river, divides the north & south parts of this large park.
Indian Trails Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 378 reviews
Park featuring picnic tables and playgrounds with slides, a volleyball court, swings and soccer fields.
Rockhill Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 176 reviews
Park featuring playgrounds and trails, plus picnic tables and pavilions.
Deetz Nature Preserve
4.2 ★★★★☆ 85 reviews
Pet-friendly nature preserve offering a network of trails for walks along the Maumee River.
Pufferbelly Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Paved hiking trail for biking, jogging and walking, plus playgrounds and a park.
Towpath Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 60 reviews
Paved trail popular for walking and biking, with scenic surroundings.
St. Marys Pathway Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 55 reviews
Pufferbelly Trail
4.9 ★★★★★ 51 reviews
Paved trail crossing several roads and passing through residential neighborhoods.
Fort Wayne Trails
4.1 ★★★★☆ 22 reviews
Pufferbelly Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Beckett's Run Trail Head
4.4 ★★★★☆ 5 reviews
Becket's Run Trail Head
4.3 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
Tree Top Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Fort Wayne
- Match the surface to your legs. Fort Wayne gives you a choice: 6 natural surface, 5 paved, 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 natural surface 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Fort Wayne is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 17 of the 25 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Fort Wayne. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 9 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Fort Wayne trails by type
Running trails near Fort Wayne
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.