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Running trails in Long Valley, NJ
Long Valley has 4 trails in the directory — 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, and 2 shaded. 2 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 2,592 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.
Hacklebarney State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,873 reviews
1200-acre park hosting a fish-stocked river, hiking-only trails & hunting on 600 acres.
Schooley's Mountain Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 584 reviews
Large park with a lake, floating bridge, horse trails & sports fields, plus fishing & ice-skating.
Columbia Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Level rail trail that's often shaded and features views of the gorge, plus areas for walking, biking and hiking.
Columbia Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Long Valley
- Match the surface to your legs. Long Valley gives you a choice: 2 natural surface and 1 crushed gravel. 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Long Valley is Schooley's Mountain Park at 4.4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 2 of the 4 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Long Valley. 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, 1 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 Long Valley trails by type
Running trails near Long Valley
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.