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Running trails in Cambridge, MA
Cambridge has 13 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 6 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 4,154 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.
Danehy Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,266 reviews
50-acre green space with activities such as softball & soccer, plus paths for jogging & a dog park.
Cambridge Common
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,236 reviews
A site of Revolutionary War history, this park now has fields, bike paths & a creative playground.
Fresh Pond Reservation
4.8 ★★★★★ 821 reviews
Popular spot for spotting wetland birds & deer with wooded walking routes around a tranquil pond.
Lechmere Canal Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 361 reviews
A tranquil, landscaped park with a focal fountain & tree-shaded areas for relaxing.
Alewife Brook Reservation
4.7 ★★★★★ 250 reviews
120 acres of protected wetlands, woods & meadows offering limited areas for hiking & bird-watching.
Alewife Brook Pathway
4.6 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
City park with a paved trail suitable for walking, biking, skating, and bird-watching.
Wheeler Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 35 reviews
Alewife Linear Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 21 reviews
Charles River Reservation
4.5 ★★★★★ 17 reviews
This linear park along the river is popular for birdwatching, biking, canoeing & in-line skating.
Watertown-Cambridge Greenway
4.3 ★★★★☆ 9 reviews
Loughrey Walkway And Kittie Knox Bike Path
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Cambridge
- Match the surface to your legs. Cambridge gives you a choice: 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, and 1 mixed. 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. The longest stated distance in Cambridge is Start of Minuteman Bike Path at 3 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 6 trails in Cambridge 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 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 1 has restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Cambridge. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Cambridge trails by type
Running trails near Cambridge
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.