Running trails in New Albany, IN
New Albany has 6 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 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 2,153 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.
Sam Peden Community Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,256 reviews
104.5-acre park around a lake with tennis, basketball & volleyball courts, 4 playgrounds & a trail.
Kevin Hammersmith Memorial Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 499 reviews
Kid-friendly, pet-friendly destination comprising playground areas and sporting facilities.
Silver Hills Historical Nature Trail & Wildlife Sanctuary
4.8 ★★★★★ 103 reviews
Trails, along with historical lore and scenery, define this nature park featuring scenic loops.
Campbell-Woodland Nature Trails
4.4 ★★★★☆ 112 reviews
Small park featuring an easy , paved trail where you may spot wildlife, plus picnic tables.
Fairmont Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 77 reviews
Basketball court, baseball field, swings and slides equipped playground for families.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in New Albany
- Match the surface to your legs. New Albany gives you a choice: 3 paved and 2 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 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. The longest stated distance in New Albany is Campbell-Woodland Nature Trails at 3 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. 5 of the 6 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. 4 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in New Albany. 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, 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 2 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 New Albany trails by type
Running trails near New Albany
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.