Running trails in Middletown, NY
Middletown has 11 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 1 with a stated distance, and 3 open 24 hours. 7 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 1,156 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.
Fancher-Davidge Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 618 reviews
Park featuring an outdoor swimming pool, large fishing pond, athletic fields & a wooded trail.
Thrall Park
4 ★★★★☆ 165 reviews
Park with a playground, swings, slides, and jungle gyms, plus benches and picnic areas.
Bullville Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 82 reviews
Grassy park with pavilions, tables, a playground and a car show.
Moonbeams Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 45 reviews
Small preserve featuring woodland trails for hiking and walking excursions, plus serene water views.
Middletown Reservoir Trail - Red Start
4.4 ★★★★☆ 15 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Middletown
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (3 of 11). 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. The longest stated distance in Middletown is Orange County Heritage Trail at 19.5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Middletown are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 11 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. 3 have trailhead parking and 5 have restrooms in Middletown. 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 1 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 Middletown trails by type
Running trails near Middletown
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.