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Running trails in Oakland, NJ
Oakland has 5 trails in the directory — 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, and 4 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 705 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.
Ramapo Lake Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 369 reviews
Vistas of a lake and ruins dot this leafy hiking destination featuring a mix of easy to challenging trails.
Ramapo Mountain State Forest (Upper Lot)
4.7 ★★★★★ 171 reviews
State park offering numerous hiking trails through woods leading to a lake, castle ruins, and scenic views.
Ramapo Water Tower Ruins
4.8 ★★★★★ 76 reviews
Ruined mansion atop a mountain, with hiking trails and a water tower.
Great Oak Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 61 reviews
Park featuring a former public pool and skatepark, plus trails.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Oakland
- Match the surface to your legs. Oakland gives you a choice: 1 crushed gravel and 1 natural surface. 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 crushed gravel trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 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. 4 trails in Oakland are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 5 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 1 has restrooms in Oakland. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 4 dog-friendly. 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 Oakland trails by type
Running trails near Oakland
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.