Running trails in Palisades, NY
Palisades has 1 trail in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 1 with a stated distance. Every one posts opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 53 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.
Peanut Leap Cascade
4.7 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
30 miLoopNatural surfaceScenic
Moderately difficult park featuring hiking trails with stone steps and views from cliffs.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Palisades
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is natural surface (1 of 1). 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? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Palisades is Peanut Leap Cascade at 30 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 1 of the 1 listing carries posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 1 has trailhead parking in Palisades. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Palisades trails by type
Running trails near Palisades
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.