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Running trails in Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe has 22 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 8 on crushed gravel or dirt, 9 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 8 open 24 hours. 13 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 2,741 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.
Frenchy's Field/Santa Fe River Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 518 reviews
Labyrinth and meadow featuring walking trails, dog-walking opportunities and a river trail.
Dale Ball Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 429 reviews
Scenic 22-mi. network of mountain trails with a variety of terrain for hiking, running & biking.
Las Acequias Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 309 reviews
A basketball court and 2 playgrounds are among the features at this grass-filled park.
Diablo Canyon Recreation Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 214 reviews
A park and canyon featuring hiking, rock climbing, camping, and wildlife viewing.
Sun Mountain Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 148 reviews
Mountain hiking area offering scenic views and well-marked trails.
Dale Ball Trails - Sierra del Norte Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 125 reviews
Easy and moderate trails (some gently inclined) through pine forests and rocky parts of the hills, with views over Santa Fe.
Arroyo Hondo Open Space Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 124 reviews
Casual trails and loop options with signage, cactus and views of the mountains.
Chamisa Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 116 reviews
Hiking area featuring kid-friendly and other trails with varying difficulty levels.
Frijoles Trailhead (La Tierra Trails)
4.7 ★★★★★ 109 reviews
Well-marked, fun-filled locale for hiking and biking and equestrian sports, with jumps for all skill levels.
Amelia White Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 106 reviews
Serene park featuring benches and picnic tables and a memorial to Korea War vets.
RailTrail, Rabbit Road Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 96 reviews
Popular out-and-back trail for walking, hiking, and cycling, with pretty views.
Cerro Gordo Trailhead (Dale Ball Trails)
4.7 ★★★★★ 89 reviews
Hiking area with a variety of trails, from easy to more challenging, and scenic views.
Picacho Peak
4.6 ★★★★★ 74 reviews
Hiking area featuring well-marked trails leading to views from the peak.
Dorothy Stewart Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 57 reviews
Easy to moderate hiking area featuring several trails with city and valley views.
Calabasas Trail Head (La Tierra Trails)
4.8 ★★★★★ 37 reviews
Hiking area with trails for different levels of difficulty, plus views.
Santa Fe Rail Trail Head
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
Arroyo de los Chamisos Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
Rail Trail Terminus
4 ★★★★☆ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Santa Fe
- Match the surface to your legs. Santa Fe gives you a choice: 8 natural surface, 2 paved, and 2 mixed. 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? 9 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. The longest stated distance in Santa Fe is La Cuchara Trailhead (La Tierra Trails) at 25 mi. 3 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 8 trails in Santa Fe are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 22 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking and 5 have restrooms in Santa Fe. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 11 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 18 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 Santa Fe trails by type
Running trails near Santa Fe
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.