Running trails in Waterville, ME
Waterville has 5 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 2 open 24 hours. 4 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 850 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.
North Street Recreation Area
4.5 ★★★★★ 587 reviews
Recreation spot with a playground, soccer and basketball fields, trails, tennis courts, a pool, and a water park.
Quarry Road Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 224 reviews
Lush area offering many trails for hiking, biking and snow sports.
Head of Falls Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 21 reviews
Inland Woods Walking Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 8 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Waterville
- Match the surface to your legs. Waterville gives you a choice: 1 paved 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? 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. 2 trails in Waterville are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 5 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 1 has restrooms and 1 has a water fountain in Waterville. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Waterville trails by type
Running trails near Waterville
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.