Running trails in New Paltz, NY
New Paltz has 9 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 boardwalk, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 4 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 879 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.
Shaupeneak Ridge Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 222 reviews
936.5 acres of park, offering forested hiking trails, a pond, waterfall & elevated river views.
Bonticou Crag
4.9 ★★★★★ 182 reviews
Wooded area for easygoing jaunts with boulder-filled trails and views, plus an adrenaline-fueled rock scramble.
River-to-Ridge Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 165 reviews
Dog-friendly, kid-friendly hiking and biking area with scenic views.
Sojourner Truth Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 143 reviews
Relaxed riverside park offering a kayak launch, a boat ramp and picnic tables, plus a walking trail.
Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary
4.7 ★★★★★ 133 reviews
Wetland habitat featuring trails for hiking, wildlife watching, and berry picking.
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, New Paltz, NY 12561
4.4 ★★★★☆ 9 reviews
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
New Paltz Trailhead.
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in New Paltz
- Match the surface to your legs. New Paltz gives you a choice: 1 paved, 1 crushed gravel, 1 natural surface, and 1 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? 4 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 New Paltz is River-to-Ridge Trail at 90 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in New Paltz is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in New Paltz. 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, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 3 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 New Paltz trails by type
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near New Paltz
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.