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Running trails in Missouri

682 trails across 121 cities in Missouri, with the most in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Lee's Summit — including 192 paved, 100 loops, 130 shaded, and 31 long enough for a 5-mile run. Every listing shows the things runners actually decide on: surface, loop distance, shade, lighting, restrooms, water and trailhead parking. Pick a city for the full local list, or filter the Missouri trails below.

682trails
121cities
100loops 192paved 130shaded
78with a stated distance
73open 24 hours

Cities in Missouri

Every city and town in Missouri with a running trail in the directory, most trails first.

Notable running trails in Missouri

The Missouri trails runners review most, ranked by rating weighted by review volume. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to narrow to the run you're actually planning. See the full best-of-Missouri ranking →

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Forest Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 34,419 reviews

St. Louis, MO

PavedScenic

Opened in 1876, this 1,300-acre park includes 3 museums, a zoo, athletic fields & golf courses.

Gateway Arch National Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 15,644 reviews

St. Louis, MO

Scenic

Park honoring Jefferson's role in western expansion, featuring the Gateway Arch & visitors' center.

Mark Twain National Forest

4.7 ★★★★★ 10,414 reviews

Rolla, MO

PavedScenic

Forested mountains with scenic rivers, lakes & streams for hiking, biking, camping, fishing & more.

Tower Grove Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 7,976 reviews

St. Louis, MO

ScenicDog-friendly

1868 park that shows its history with carriage rides, grass tennis courts, a wading pool & a gazebo.

Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park

4.9 ★★★★★ 4,735 reviews

Springfield, MO

PavedScenicDog-friendly

20+ landscaped botanical gardens, with BBQ/picnic areas, a lake & a native butterfly house.

Table Rock State Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 4,483 reviews

Branson, MO

PavedScenic

Popular lakeside recreation area offers boat rentals, camping, biking & hiking trails & a store.

Bennett Spring State Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 4,143 reviews

Lebanon, MO

Scenic

Serious trout fishing in a stocked stream, plus camping, hiking, canoeing & a rustic dining lodge.

Penn Valley Park

4.6 ★★★★★ 3,935 reviews

Kansas City, MO

Scenic

Park with the National WWI Museum & Memorial, a theater & tennis, baseball & skateboarding venues.

Castlewood State Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 3,762 reviews

Ballwin, MO

3 miPavedScenicDog-friendly

A leisure destination for St. Louisans in the early 1900s, now popular for hiking & mountain biking.

Carondelet Park

4.5 ★★★★★ 3,360 reviews

St. Louis, MO

PavedScenicDog-friendly

City green space with 2 small stocked fishing ponds, one with pergolas shading the docks.

Berkley Riverfront

4.6 ★★★★★ 3,101 reviews

Kansas City, MO

LitScenic

Downtown green space along the Missouri River features broad biking & walking paths & open fields.

Lone Elk Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 2,947 reviews

Valley Park, MO

Scenic

Sprawling space with driving routes to see elk, bison & other wildlife, plus morning feedings.

Grand Falls

4.7 ★★★★★ 2,895 reviews

Joplin, MO

Scenic

Scenic waterfall cascading off a 163-ft.-wide ledge, plus creek pools for swimming & fishing.

Lake of the Ozarks State Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 2,639 reviews

Brumley, MO

PavedShadedScenic

Swimming, hiking/biking trails, camping, boating with an aquatic trail map & lantern-lit cave tours.

Frontier Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 2,588 reviews

St Charles, MO

PavedScenicDog-friendly

Community event site with a large Lewis & Clark statue featuring a stage & a paved biking trail.

Jackson County Parks + Rec

4.6 ★★★★★ 2,588 reviews

Blue Springs, MO

Scenic

Fishing & boating on 2 lakes, campgrounds, native animal enclosure, soccer & model airplane fields.

Creve Coeur Park Picnic Site 1

4.7 ★★★★★ 2,528 reviews

Maryland Heights, MO

Scenic

Public park featuring a sailboat lake, plus family areas with spray-fountain playgrounds for kids.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

4.8 ★★★★★ 2,149 reviews

Republic, MO

Crushed gravelScenicDog-friendly

Well-preserved Civil War battlefield with a visitor center displaying war-era images & objects.

Cliff Cave County Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 2,189 reviews

St. Louis, MO

1 miLoopPavedShaded

Long limestone formation gated to protect bats, with natural grounds & river for picnics & hiking.

Doling Park

4.5 ★★★★★ 2,134 reviews

Springfield, MO

PavedScenic

Relaxed, sprawling park offering picnic facilities, trails and an indoor pool as well as a cave.

King Jack Park

4.6 ★★★★★ 1,891 reviews

Webb City, MO

PavedLitScenicDog-friendly

Sprawling park with a splash pad, playground and walking trains, plus soccer fields and picnic tables.

St. Francois State Park

4.6 ★★★★★ 1,848 reviews

Bonne Terre, MO

LoopNatural surfaceLitScenic

Spacious natural area with forested hiking & horse trails, river access, campgrounds & picnic sites.

Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area (Cosmo Park)

4.7 ★★★★★ 1,803 reviews

Columbia, MO

PavedShadedLitDog-friendly

Columbia's largest park, with ball fields, tennis courts, a golf course, trails & fishing ponds.

Cuivre River State Park

4.6 ★★★★★ 1,833 reviews

Troy, MO

Crushed gravelScenicDog-friendly

Prairie & forest trails for hikers & equestrians plus lake access for boating, fishing & swimming.

James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area

4.7 ★★★★★ 1,699 reviews

Lee's Summit, MO

MixedScenicDog-friendly

Expansive woodland & wetland hunting grounds features picnic spots, trails & fishing lakes & ponds.

Weston Bend State Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 1,694 reviews

Weston, MO

2.5 miLoopMixedShaded

This park with a campground offers paved & unpaved trails & overlook views of the Missouri River.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 1,646 reviews

Columbia, MO

BoardwalkScenic

Popular for its hiking & biking trails, this park boasts a large cave system & a rock bridge.

Phelps Grove Park

4.7 ★★★★★ 1,637 reviews

Springfield, MO

ShadedScenicDog-friendly

Roomy park with mature trees, a picnic pavilion, tennis courts & playground equipment.

Lafayette Park

4.8 ★★★★★ 1,586 reviews

St. Louis, MO

Scenic

30-acre city park, circa 1851, with a lake & historic elements like cannons & an 1867 house.

Shoal Creek

4.7 ★★★★★ 1,615 reviews

Joplin, MO

LoopMixedScenicDog-friendly

Natural area boasting a sizable conservation-education center, an aquarium & walking trails.

Missouri trails by surface

Surface is the biggest split in trail running — asphalt is fast and predictable, crushed limestone is softer but still smooth, dirt is easiest on the joints and the most fun, boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick when wet.

192Paved 96Mixed 52Natural surface 20Crushed gravel 5Boardwalk

More ways to find a trail in Missouri

Trail features in Missouri