Running trails in Waterford Township, MI

How to pick a trail in Waterford Township

• Match the surface to your legs. Waterford Township gives you a choice: 2 mixed, 1 crushed gravel, 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? 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.
• Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Waterford Township are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 8 of the 10 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
• Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Waterford Township. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 1 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 Waterford Township trails by type

• Mixed trails (2 in Waterford Township)
• Crushed gravel trails (1 in Waterford Township)
• Boardwalk trails (1 in Waterford Township)
• Loop trails (1 in Waterford Township)
• Hilly trails (1 in Waterford Township)
• Scenic trails (4 in Waterford Township)
• Trails with restrooms (4 in Waterford Township)
• Trails with water fountains (2 in Waterford Township)
• Trailhead parking (3 in Waterford Township)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (1 in Waterford Township)
• Dog-friendly (2 in Waterford Township)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (1 in Waterford Township)

Running trails near Waterford Township

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in Pontiac, MI (5 · 4 mi)
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