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Running trails in Massachusetts
1,382 trails across 278 cities in Massachusetts, with the most in Boston, Worcester, and Westford — including 160 natural surface, 217 loops, 50 shaded, and 77 long enough for a 5-mile run. Every listing shows the things runners actually decide on: surface, loop distance, shade, lighting, restrooms, water and trailhead parking. Pick a city for the full local list, or filter the Massachusetts trails below.
Cities in Massachusetts
Every city and town in Massachusetts with a running trail in the directory, most trails first.
- Boston
- Worcester
- Westford
- Andover
- Dartmouth
- Plymouth
- Sturbridge
- Acton
- Amherst
- Holyoke
- Leominster
- Lexington
- Lowell
- Athol
- Cambridge
- Concord
- Gloucester
- Quincy
- Sharon
- Brewster
- Harwich
- Haverhill
- Littleton
- Northampton
- Westport
- Attleboro
- Chelmsford
- Easthampton
- Franklin
- Groton
- Hingham
- Newburyport
- Pittsfield
- Sudbury
- Wellesley
- Weymouth
- Woburn
- Ipswich
- Lynn
- Northborough
- Salem
- Malden
- Marlborough
- Marshfield
- Needham
- Spencer
- Springfield
- Waltham
- Wayland
- Amesbury
- Duxbury
- East Falmouth
- Fitchburg
- Framingham
- Gardner
- Mashpee
- Medfield
- New Bedford
- North Andover
- Pembroke
- Stoneham
- Weston
- Bridgewater
- Danvers
- Dracut
- Dudley
- Fairhaven
- Hadley
- Medford
- Millbury
- Nantucket
- Newton
- Pepperell
- Taunton
- Ware
- Wilbraham
- Winchendon
- Winthrop
- Adams
- Arlington
- Belchertown
- Beverly
- Brookline
- Chicopee
- East Sandwich
- Fall River
- Falmouth
- Hanover
- Hanson
- Hudson
- Kingston
- Lawrence
- Marblehead
- Middleborough
- Milton
- North Adams
- Seekonk
- Tewksbury
- Uxbridge
- Wakefield
- West Springfield
- Westfield
- Abington
- Billerica
- Burlington
- Dedham
- Everett
- Foxborough
- Grafton
- Hopkinton
- Lunenburg
- Mattapoisett
- Melrose
- North Easton
- Norwood
- Peabody
- Saugus
- Shrewsbury
- Walpole
- Westborough
- Wilmington
- Acushnet
- Braintree
- Brockton
- Canton
- East Longmeadow
- Longmeadow
- Methuen
- Norfolk
- Norwell
- Palmer
- Pocasset
- Rehoboth
- Somerville
- Wareham
- West Bridgewater
- Agawam
- Ashland
- Bedford
- Buzzards Bay
- Carver
- Cohasset
- Greenfield
- Holbrook
- Holden
- Holliston
- Hull
- Ludlow
- Mansfield
- Maynard
- Medway
- North Billerica
- Norton
- Randolph
- Raynham
- Rockland
- Sandwich
- South Dennis
- South Hadley
- Southborough
- Southbridge
- Tyngsborough
- Upton
- Watertown
- West Wareham
- West Yarmouth
- Westminster
- Whitinsville
- Williamstown
- Winchester
- Wrentham
- Auburn
- Ayer
- Belmont
- Berlin
- Bourne
- Carlisle
- Charlton
- Cheshire
- Chestnut Hill
- Clinton
- Dennis
- Douglas
- East Bridgewater
- East Walpole
- Feeding Hills
- Lancaster
- Lanesborough
- Lenox
- Lynnfield
- Marion
- Mattapan
- Milford
- North Attleborough
- North Chelmsford
- Paxton
- Plainville
- Princeton
- Reading
- Rowley
- Scituate
- South Grafton
- South Yarmouth
- Southwick
- Stoughton
- Stow
- Swampscott
- Swansea
- Wellfleet
- West Barnstable
- Westwood
- Yarmouth Port
- Ashburnham
- Auburndale
- Bellingham
- Berkley
- Blackstone
- Brighton
- Chatham
- Dalton
- Dennis Port
- Dighton
- Dover
- East Boston
- East Cambridge
- East Dennis
- Eastham
- Essex
- Florence
- Georgetown
- Granby
- Hampden
- Harwich Port
- Hinsdale
- Hyannis
- Jefferson
- Lakeville
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Leverett
- Mendon
- Merrimac
- Millis
- Natick
- New Braintree
- New Salem
- Newbury
- North Dartmouth
- North Falmouth
- North Grafton
- Orange
- Osterville
- Oxford
- Readville
- Revere
- Rochester
- Royalston
- Rutland
- Sagamore Beach
- Salisbury
- Shelburne Falls
- Sherborn
- Siasconset
- Somerset
- South Deerfield
- South Easton
- South Hamilton
- Sterling
- Topsfield
- Turners Falls
- W BARNSTBLE
- Waban
- Wendell
- West Boylston
- West Harwich
- West Newbury
- West Roxbury
- West Townsend
Notable running trails in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts trails runners review most, ranked by rating weighted by review volume. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to narrow to the run you're actually planning. See the full best-of-Massachusetts ranking →
Boston Common
4.7 ★★★★★ 38,548 reviews
Storied, nearly 50-acre urban park that hosted British troops during the American Revolution.
Public Garden
4.8 ★★★★★ 18,626 reviews
Placid, verdant, circa-1837 city park with a lagoon, boat rides, fountains & other sights.
Castle Island
4.7 ★★★★★ 6,354 reviews
Site of Fort Independence (open in the summer), with beach, picnic & jogging areas.
Franklin Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 6,039 reviews
This large natural area with fields, wetlands & ponds offers a zoo, golf course & sports courts.
Middlesex Fells Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 5,506 reviews
2,575-acre natural haven including hiking trails around a pond, plus areas for dog-walking & biking.
Pilgrim Memorial State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 4,722 reviews
Harborside park commemorating the first pilgrim landing, with Plymouth Rock & a Mayflower replica.
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 4,269 reviews
Protected area including roadways to the summit, 17 miles of hiking & biking trails & ski slopes.
Salem Willows Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,861 reviews
Storied park since 1858 boasting a carousel, arcade & food vendors, plus a beach & outdoor concerts.
Forest Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,090 reviews
Sprawling, 735-acre public park known for its charming natural features, sweeping views, lake & zoo.
Green Hill Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,462 reviews
480-acre park with sports, playgrounds, trails, a petting zoo, a golf course & picnic facilities.
Elm Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,362 reviews
Historic 60-acre park with reconstructed bridges, tennis & basketball courts & winter skating.
Breakheart Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,308 reviews
This forest with hiking trails, lakes & a river offers activities such as fishing & swimming.
Nickerson State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,876 reviews
Woodsy 1900-acre preserve featuring a large campground, trout-fishing ponds, biking & hiking trails.
Red Rock Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,852 reviews
Waterfront locale for strolling, picnicking and dog-walking, plus an area swimming ban.
Look Memorial Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,670 reviews
Attractions include a steam train, playgrounds, pedal boats, mini-golf, a water park & a small zoo.
Fort Phoenix State Reservation
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,689 reviews
Scenic bay views, hiking & a half-mile swimming beach draw locals & visitors to this historic park.
World's End
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,607 reviews
This tranquil coastal park offers scenic views of the Boston skyline, plus 4.5 miles of trails.
Myles Standish State Forest
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,617 reviews
Giant property with ponds, hiking & biking trails, plus hunting & 35 miles of equestrian trails.
Mount Tom State Reservation
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,458 reviews
State park with scenic views boasts premier spot for hawk-watching, plus skiing, fishing & skating.
John F. Kennedy Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 1,603 reviews
Popular recreational area with a playground, ball courts and a gazebo.
Larz Anderson Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,371 reviews
This landscaped park offers pathways, ponds, gardens, a skating rink & an auto museum.
Buttonwood Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,357 reviews
Public space with picnic tables and a playground, plus tennis and basketball courts, and an on-site zoo.
Borderland State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,257 reviews
Circa-early-1900s artist-created park boasts founders' home, woodland trails & pond for activities.
Great Brook Farm State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,279 reviews
An expanse of trails through fields & woods, centered around a working dairy farm, open for tours.
Danehy Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,266 reviews
50-acre green space with activities such as softball & soccer, plus paths for jogging & a dog park.
Lynn Woods Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,261 reviews
Municipal forest park with a garden, a cave to explore, & a stone tower with a view of Boston.
Freedom Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,233 reviews
Historical landmark and hiking area with a cemetery offering free admission.
Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
4.9 ★★★★★ 1,178 reviews
Sanctuary offering trails through forest, meadows & wetlands, with wildlife views & canoeing.
Douglas State Forest
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,239 reviews
Woodland environs with a cedar swamp, plus swimming, boating, fishing, snowmobiling & hiking.
Cambridge Common
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,236 reviews
A site of Revolutionary War history, this park now has fields, bike paths & a creative playground.
No trails match those filters.
Massachusetts trails by surface
Surface is the biggest split in trail running — asphalt is fast and predictable, crushed limestone is softer but still smooth, dirt is easiest on the joints and the most fun, boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick when wet.
More ways to find a trail in Massachusetts
- Best running trails in Massachusetts — the state-wide ranking from runner reviews
- Loop trails — 217 in Massachusetts come back to the trailhead without backtracking
- Long-run trails (5+ miles) — 77 in Massachusetts are long enough for a proper long run
- Shaded trails — 50 in Massachusetts keep tree cover over the path for summer miles
- Lit trails — 40 in Massachusetts have lighting for pre-dawn and post-work runs
- Trails with restrooms — 207 in Massachusetts, and 69 with water fountains
- Trailhead parking — 642 in Massachusetts have parking at the trailhead
- Dog-friendly trails — 482 in Massachusetts you can run with a dog
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible — 222 in Massachusetts are smooth and wide enough
- Scenic trails — 644 in Massachusetts runners single out for the views
- Browse by surface — paved, crushed limestone, natural dirt or boardwalk
- All trail features — loops, shade, lighting, restrooms, mile markers and more
- Running trails by state — the rest of the country
- Trail-running guides — surfaces and your knees, loop vs out-and-back, trail etiquette, running before dawn
Trail features in Massachusetts
- Scenic Running Trails
- Trails with Trailhead Parking
- Dog-Friendly Running Trails
- Quiet, Uncrowded Trails
- Stroller & Wheelchair-Accessible Trails
- Loop Trails (No Backtracking)
- Trails with Restrooms
- Hilly Trails & Hill Workouts
- Trails with Mile Markers
- Flat & Fast Running Trails
- Long-Run Trails (5+ Miles)
- Trails with Water Fountains
- Shaded Running Trails
- Lit Trails for Early & Night Runs