Running trails in Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn has 22 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 shaded, and 9 open 24 hours. 20 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 84,785 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.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 43,091 reviews
This urban oasis features shaded picnic tables, hibachi-style BBQ grills & river views.
Prospect Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 28,472 reviews
Sprawling city park featuring the Audubon Center in the historic Boathouse, plus Prospect Park Zoo.
Canarsie Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 3,838 reviews
Historic site featuring soccer, cricket, basketball & baseball games, nature walks & a skate park.
Shore Road Park and Parkway
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,874 reviews
Green space with a recreational hike/bike path & views of the harbor & the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Owl's Head Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,923 reviews
Riverfront park provides panoramic city views, a playground, spray pool, skate park & sports courts.
Shirley Chisholm State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,545 reviews
Park on a former landfill overlooking Jamaica Bay, with trails, picnic spots & NYC skyline views.
Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 771 reviews
Nature preserve with picnic tables, a public restroom, and a nature center, plus opportunities for hiking.
Shore Park and Parkway
4.6 ★★★★★ 348 reviews
Park for walking, biking, and rollerblading with views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the harbor.
Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
4.3 ★★★★☆ 260 reviews
City nature preserve composed of marshland, offering trails & bird-watching opportunities.
Shirley Chisholm State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 176 reviews
Park for biking, running and walking, plus picnics, with scenic trails to explore.
Ravine
4.6 ★★★★★ 129 reviews
Brooklyn's only forest, this urban oasis in Prospect Park is the setting for weekend nature tours.
Shore Pkwy Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Park offering opportunities for jogging, walking, and enjoying the sunset.
Newtown Creek Nature Walk
4.2 ★★★★☆ 78 reviews
Quarter-mile creekside path features foliage & sitting areas amid views of a water treatment plant.
North Forty Natural Area
4 ★★★★☆ 23 reviews
Oval Hiking Path
4.7 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
Breeze Hill Walk
4.8 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
Canarsie Bike Walk
4.5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Canarsie Park Hiking Path
5 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Jamaica Bay Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Brooklyn
- Match the surface to your legs. Brooklyn gives you a choice: 2 mixed, 1 paved, 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 mixed 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. 9 trails in Brooklyn are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 20 of the 22 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. 8 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Brooklyn. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 12 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Brooklyn trails by type
Running trails near Brooklyn
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.