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Running trails in Medford, MA
Medford has 7 trails in the directory — 2 boardwalk, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 6 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 1,846 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.
Mystic Lakes State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 926 reviews
State park featuring a sandy beach, hiking trails, and areas for boating.
Mystic River State Reservation
4.6 ★★★★★ 612 reviews
This waterfront natural area offers biking & hiking trails, plus swimming, boating & sailing access.
Wright's Pond Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 141 reviews
Clean park featuring a sandy beach, a pond, picnic tables, playgrounds and walking trails.
Torbert Macdonald Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 64 reviews
Park by the Mystic River with paths, benches and a tower for observation of birds and other wildlife.
The Park at River's Edge
4.5 ★★★★★ 58 reviews
Waterfront, landscaped green space featuring river views, lawns, paths & the Tufts crew boathouse.
Cross Fells Trailhead
4.1 ★★★★☆ 8 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Medford
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is boardwalk (2 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 boardwalk 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Medford is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 6 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 and 2 have restrooms in Medford. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 1 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 Medford trails by type
Running trails near Medford
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.