Home › Massachusetts › Boston
Running trails in Boston, MA
Boston has 27 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 5 open 24 hours. 22 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 77,146 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.
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.
Freedom Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,233 reviews
Historical landmark and hiking area with a cemetery offering free admission.
Rose Kennedy Greenway
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,105 reviews
Bustling urban park providing open lawns, benches, fountains & paved pathways amid waterfront views.
Millennium Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,036 reviews
Natural retreat with 6 miles of accessible trails, playing fields, a canoe launch & scenic views.
Back Bay Fens
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,061 reviews
This large greenspace has multiple gardens, playgrounds, ball fields & memorials, plus picnic areas.
Olmsted Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 802 reviews
Longtime urban park boasts trails, picnic space & athletic fields set amid ponds, meadows & forests.
Charles River Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 620 reviews
This urban park located along the river features paved paths for walking, running & skating.
Belle Isle Marsh Reservation
4.5 ★★★★★ 578 reviews
Salt marsh preserve featuring a 28-acre park offering benches, paths & an observation tower.
Freedom Trail Foundation
4.6 ★★★★★ 396 reviews
Walking tour of iconic American Revolution sites, including museums, churches & meeting houses.
City Square Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 255 reviews
Elegant, 1-acre park featuring landscaped paths, lawns, sculptures & fountains, plus city views.
Lower Neponset River Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 113 reviews
Riverfront park featuring a pool, playgrounds and pathways for walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists.
Stony Brook Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 92 reviews
Waterside, kid-friendly recreation area for hiking, biking, jogging and relaxing.
Columbus Park: Outdoor Track
4.5 ★★★★★ 83 reviews
Sherrin Woods
4.4 ★★★★☆ 69 reviews
Wooded greenspace featuring a playground, nature trails and a tennis court.
The Cenacles
4.4 ★★★★☆ 19 reviews
Peaceful neighborhood grassland area featuring a pond, a range of trails & open recreational space.
Charles River Greenway
5 ★★★★★ 14 reviews
Southwest Corridor Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 7 reviews
Draw Seven Park Greenway Trailhead
3.8 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
East Boston Greenway
4 ★★★★☆ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Boston
- Match the surface to your legs. Boston gives you a choice: 4 paved, 1 crushed gravel, 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. 5 trails in Boston are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 22 of the 27 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 17 have trailhead parking, 1 has restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Boston. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Boston trails by type
Running trails near Boston
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.