Running trails in Bel Air, MD
Bel Air has 7 trails in the directory — 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,878 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.
Ma & Pa Heritage Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 461 reviews
Scenic trail running through woods, streams, and hills, with a playground for kids.
Bynum Run Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 449 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring a dam and a stream for wading along with picnic tables and benches. Pavilions and playgrounds are also available.
Harford Glen Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 289 reviews
Park with trails for hiking and wildlife watching, plus picnic tables.
Rockfield Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 269 reviews
51 acres with sports facilities, a large playground, nature trails & a historic home for events.
Schucks Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 256 reviews
Open park featuring playgrounds, walking trails and sports fields.
Emily Bayless Graham Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 116 reviews
Wooded area, featuring walking trails, parking, picnicking areas and a pavilion.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bel Air
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is mixed (4 of 7). 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? 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 Bel Air is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Bel Air. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, and 5 dog-friendly. 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 Bel Air trails by type
Running trails near Bel Air
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.