Running trails in Baltimore, MD

How to pick a trail in Baltimore

• Match the surface to your legs. Baltimore gives you a choice: 4 paved, 1 crushed gravel, and 1 boardwalk. 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Baltimore is Gwynns Falls Trail at 14 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
• Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Baltimore are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 20 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
• Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 9 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Baltimore. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 8 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Baltimore trails by type

• Paved trails (4 in Baltimore)
• Crushed gravel trails (1 in Baltimore)
• Boardwalk trails (1 in Baltimore)
• Long-run trails (5+ mi) (1 in Baltimore)
• Shaded trails (2 in Baltimore)
• Flat & fast (2 in Baltimore)
• Hilly trails (2 in Baltimore)
• Scenic trails (14 in Baltimore)
• Trails with restrooms (5 in Baltimore)
• Trails with water fountains (2 in Baltimore)
• Trailhead parking (9 in Baltimore)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (8 in Baltimore)
• Dog-friendly (8 in Baltimore)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (2 in Baltimore)

Running trails near Baltimore

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in Pikesville, MD (1 · 6 mi)
• Running trails in Parkville, MD (2 · 7 mi)
• Running trails in Halethorpe, MD (2 · 8 mi)
• Running trails in Ellicott City, MD (1 · 8 mi)
• Running trails in Elkridge, MD (1 · 8 mi)
• Running trails in Perry Hall, MD (1 · 12 mi)
• Running trails in Cockeysville, MD (1 · 12 mi)
• Running trails in Marriottsville, MD (1 · 13 mi)