Running trails in Bangor, ME
Bangor has 16 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 4 open 24 hours. 11 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 4,019 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.
Bangor City Forest
4.8 ★★★★★ 856 reviews
650-acre recreational area featuring hiking & cross-country ski trails & a bog boardwalk.
Cascade Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 912 reviews
Scenic park featuring a picnic area & fountain, plus trails through a variety of pine trees.
Broadway Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 564 reviews
Grassy park with an outdoor gym, playground and shady benches.
Hayford Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 384 reviews
Public park offering amenities such as a playground, picnic tables, and a skateboard area, as well as baseball fields and a pool.
Orono Bog Boardwalk
4.9 ★★★★★ 305 reviews
Scenic place featuring a boardwalk that traverses a bog habitat, plus trails and benches.
Chapin Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 191 reviews
Paved walking trails through a grassy space, plus a play area with slides and swings.
Essex Woods
4.5 ★★★★★ 182 reviews
Tranquil woods featuring hiking and dog-friendly trails as well as a dog park.
Brown Woods
4.4 ★★★★☆ 101 reviews
Wooded park and scenic trail system that's kid-friendly and popular with dog walkers.
Prentiss Woods
4.6 ★★★★★ 95 reviews
Forested preserve featuring many mature trees, walking trails & limited facilities.
Walden-Parke Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 74 reviews
Nature conservation is a focus at this 410-acre area with many habitats including beaver wetlands.
Northeast Penjajawoc Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 55 reviews
80.5 acres of forested wetlands with hiking/biking trails, scenic views & wildlife sightings.
Kenduskeag Stream Trail
3.5 ★★★★☆ 68 reviews
Stream-side trail offering scenic views and used by dogs.
Central Penjajawoc Preserve
4.2 ★★★★☆ 50 reviews
Vast, 182-acre preserve of forests & fields offering a narrow walking trail in a tranquil setting.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bangor
- Match the surface to your legs. Bangor gives you a choice: 6 mixed, 3 natural surface, 2 boardwalk, and 1 paved. 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 mixed 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 Bangor is Bangor City Forest at 9 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Bangor are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 16 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 11 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 7 have a water fountain in Bangor. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 with mile markers, 7 that runners describe as quiet, 9 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 Bangor trails by type
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Paved trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Bangor
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.