Running trails in Flint, MI
Flint has 14 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 10 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 3,679 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.
Stepping Stone Falls
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,601 reviews
Scenic recreation area with trails, picnic sites & an accessible dam & lake stocked with fish.
Bluebell Beach & Flint River Bike Path
4.2 ★★★★☆ 594 reviews
Lakeside park along the Flint River Bike Path featuring a sandy beach, a splash pad & shade kites.
Kearsley Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 516 reviews
Spacious city park with a playground, ball fields & a pavilion hosting seasonal concerts & plays.
Max Brandon Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 296 reviews
107-acre green space offering wooded walking & running trails, a play area & picnic facilities.
Broome Park
3.6 ★★★★☆ 306 reviews
Park with facilities for baseball, soccer, and basketball, plus a playground and dog-friendly areas.
Mundy Miracle Commons Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Park featuring paved trails for walking and biking, plus picnic tables and a public restroom.
Chevy Commons County Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 126 reviews
Popular riverside park, with trails for walking, running and biking.
Genesee Valley Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 19 reviews
Pierce Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 11 reviews
Genesee Valley Trail
5 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
Bike and walking trail
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Flint
- Match the surface to your legs. Flint gives you a choice: 3 mixed, 2 paved, and 2 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 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Flint is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 10 of the 14 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. 6 have trailhead parking and 6 have restrooms in Flint. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Flint trails by type
Running trails near Flint
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.