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Running trails in Nicholasville, KY
Nicholasville has 7 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 1 open 24 hours. 6 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 1,521 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.
Lake Mingo Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 727 reviews
Pond-side park with a disc golf area, a skateboard area and a playground.
Jessamine Creek Gorge
4.5 ★★★★★ 342 reviews
Wooded area featuring hiking trails with creek views, a waterfall, and picnic spots.
Riney B Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 224 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring an 18-hole disc golf course and a pool with slides.
Rock Fence Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 156 reviews
Clean park for the kids in your life, with slides and other playground toys.
Jim Beam Nature Preserve
4.3 ★★★★☆ 54 reviews
Loop trail winding through a quiet nature preserve, with views of the Kentucky River.
Woodrow Masters Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
Harrodsburg Rd Multi-Purpose Path
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Nicholasville
- Match the surface to your legs. Nicholasville gives you a choice: 2 paved and 2 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 Nicholasville is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 6 of the 7 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. 2 have trailhead parking, 1 has restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Nicholasville. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Nicholasville trails by type
Running trails near Nicholasville
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.