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Running trails in Newburyport, MA
Newburyport has 11 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 5 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 2,794 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.
Maudslay State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,004 reviews
Old estate for horticulture-buffs with floral diversity, spectacular trees & mountain laurel stand.
Waterfront Promenade Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 673 reviews
Riverfront and harborfront park known for its boardwalk and green spaces.
Cashman Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 582 reviews
Riverfront park featuring a nautical-themed playground & a boat launch, plus sports fields & courts.
Moseley Woods
4.7 ★★★★★ 282 reviews
Relaxed park, with a playground and a riverside area, plus trails.
Atkinson Common
4.6 ★★★★★ 136 reviews
Storied park & garden with baseball fields, tennis courts, a lily pond & a Civil War monument.
Newburyport Harborwalk Rail Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 42 reviews
Park with walking and biking paths, plus a commuter train parking lot, and access to downtown.
Cushing Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 38 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Newburyport
- Match the surface to your legs. Newburyport gives you a choice: 2 mixed, 1 paved, and 1 boardwalk. 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. The longest stated distance in Newburyport is Clipper City Rail Trail at 3 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Newburyport are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 6 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Newburyport. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 5 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 Newburyport trails by type
Running trails near Newburyport
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.