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Running trails in Waltham, MA
Waltham has 9 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt and 2 open 24 hours. 7 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 1,185 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.
Prospect Hill Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 621 reviews
Uphill hiking trails (some paved) and roadways lead to scenic overlooks at this hilly park with Boston views, plus a playground, picnic tables and grills.
Beaver Brook North Reservation
4.4 ★★★★☆ 141 reviews
This 254-acre natural area features many wildlife viewing opportunities, plus hiking trails.
Storer Conservation
4.6 ★★★★★ 129 reviews
Landscaper Frederick Olmsted designed the grounds of this 109-acre park with trails & a museum.
Prospect Hill (Lookout - View of Boston)
4.8 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Park with picnic tables and walking trails, offering Boston views from the hilltop.
Shady's Pond Conservation Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Park offering walking paths & a rustic setting with mature woods, ferns, a pond, a marsh & a stream.
The RiverWalk, Waltham, ML
4.6 ★★★★★ 32 reviews
Mackerel Hill
4.7 ★★★★★ 30 reviews
Upper Charles River Reservation
4.8 ★★★★★ 10 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Waltham
- Match the surface to your legs. Waltham gives you a choice: 2 paved 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? 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. 2 trails in Waltham are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Waltham. 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, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 3 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 Waltham trails by type
Running trails near Waltham
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.