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Running trails in Gilford, NH
Gilford has 3 trails in the directory — 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 1 open 24 hours. 1 of them posts opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 387 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.
Lockes Hill Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 200 reviews
Popular mountain hiking area offering several marked trails past scenic lookout points, plus views of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Belknap Mountain State Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Forest trails of varying levels of difficulty on a peak, plus scenic overlooks and a lake.
Belknap Range Trails
4.5 ★★★★★ 68 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area offering various trails, a fire tower, and scenic overlooks.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Gilford
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is natural surface (2 of 3). 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 natural surface 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 Gilford is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 1 of the 3 listing carries posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking in Gilford. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 with mile markers. 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 Gilford trails by type
Running trails near Gilford
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.