Running trails in Buffalo, NY
Buffalo has 26 trails in the directory — 5 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 3 open 24 hours. 23 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 7,103 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.
Buffalo Harbor State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,610 reviews
Public park featuring a playground and a paved walkway, as well as lake views.
Freedom Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,336 reviews
Lakeside park featuring a pier and trails for fishing and walking, plus picnic sites.
Wilkeson Pointe
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,125 reviews
Waterfront green space featuring trails, a playground, and lake views, plus picnic tables.
Amherst State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 584 reviews
Former historic convent serves as a small state park with jogging trails & guided nature walks.
Unity Island Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 397 reviews
Grassy island in the Niagara River offers bridge & Canadian shoreline views, plus picnic sites.
South Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 300 reviews
Lakeside park boasting an arboretum, botanical gardens and a 9-hole golf course.
Black Rock Canal Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 290 reviews
Peaceful park with a boat launch offering views of the river, plus fishing.
Lakeside Bike Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 223 reviews
Scenic space for outdoor activity, featuring trails, a pump track and a skate park.
Tow Path Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 242 reviews
Green space along the Niagara River featuring a playground and benches plus walking paths and sunset views.
Seneca Bluffs Natural Habitat Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 189 reviews
City park with natural areas, mowed paths, a creek and picnic spots.
Amherst Veterans Canal Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 172 reviews
Compact park along the Erie Canal for kayaking, boating and hiking.
Walton Woods Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 105 reviews
Park with paved trails, a playground and ponds teeming with wildlife.
Ellicott Creek Trailway Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Scenic spot with a paved path for jogging, biking and rollerblading along a creek, plus tennis courts.
Bell Slip
4.7 ★★★★★ 79 reviews
Park featuring a trail, hammocks, and opportunities for biking and lake viewing.
Ship Canal Commons
4.7 ★★★★★ 55 reviews
Grass-covered park for walking, running and bike riding, with water views.
North Buffalo Rails to Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 32 reviews
Brookdale Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 31 reviews
Nature View Park - entrance
3.4 ★★★☆☆ 35 reviews
Park with kid-friendly hikes and trails.
Tonawanda Rails-To-Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
Tonawanda Rails to Trails (Englewood to Harrison)
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Tonawanda Rails to Trails (Colvin to Brighton)
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Buffalo
- Match the surface to your legs. Buffalo gives you a choice: 5 paved, 2 natural surface, and 2 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? 2 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 Buffalo is Amherst Veterans Canal Park at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Buffalo are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 23 of the 26 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 11 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Buffalo. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 9 that runners describe as quiet, 8 dog-friendly, and 7 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 Buffalo trails by type
Running trails near Buffalo
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.