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Running trails in Newark, NJ
Newark has 14 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, and 3 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 25,166 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.
Branch Brook Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 12,456 reviews
Scenic, 360-acre park featuring cherry trees, lakes & bridges plus bicycling & other activities.
Weequahic Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 4,114 reviews
Green space with a large lake, golf course, running track, trails & athletic fields.
Independence Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 2,042 reviews
Neighborhood park with lighted softball diamonds, a soccer field, hockey rink, playground & gazebo.
Weequahic Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,838 reviews
Kids-friendly 80-acre public park offering paved jogging trails, ball fields and courts, plus picnic spots and playgrounds.
Riverbank Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,104 reviews
Baseball diamond with a grandstand, plus basketball & tennis courts, a track & a playground.
West Side Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 1,089 reviews
Over a century old, this county park offers several outdoor activities, plus a community center.
Vailsburg Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 1,071 reviews
Spacious city park offering baseball, basketball & soccer fields, a playground & a bocce court.
Essex County Riverfront Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 744 reviews
12-acre waterfront park offering athletic fields & courts, 2 playgrounds & open green space.
Nat Turner Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 342 reviews
Urban recreation space with a playground & outdoor pool, plus a football field with a running track.
Mildred Helms Park
3.8 ★★★★☆ 136 reviews
Neighborhood park featuring play equipment for kids, a walking track & picnic tables.
Newark Riverfront Park - Somme Street Entrance
4.4 ★★★★☆ 102 reviews
City park with a playground and sports fields, plus a riverside path.
Branch Brook Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 57 reviews
Weequahic Lake Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Newark
- Match the surface to your legs. Newark gives you a choice: 1 paved 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 paved 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Newark are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 14 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. 3 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Newark. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Newark trails by type
Running trails near Newark
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.