Running trails in Queensbury, NY
Queensbury has 16 trails in the directory — 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 shaded, and 5 open 24 hours. 12 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 1,991 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.
Hovey Pond Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 541 reviews
Relaxed park with a pond , wetlands, plus botanical gardens and a playground.
Gurney Lane Recreation Area Queensbury
4.8 ★★★★★ 331 reviews
Park, playground and public pool boasting biking trails and sledding.
Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 217 reviews
Nature preserve offering easy walking trails with river views, and wildlife observation opportunities.
Coles Woods
4.6 ★★★★★ 164 reviews
Park offering groomed trails, lights for cross-country skiing and walking in warmer months.
Pilot Knob Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 142 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area with a gazebo, waterfall, and views of Lake George.
Hudson River Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 141 reviews
Park featuring a playground, picnic tables, and tennis courts, plus a boat launch.
Rush Pond Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 122 reviews
Hiking trails for mountain biking and cross-country skiing, plus a pond.
Meadowbrook Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 89 reviews
Looping nature trails meandering through wooded areas and wetlands for walking. There's also a pier to view Halfway Creek.
Van Dusen Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 58 reviews
Hiking area featuring kid-friendly trails and markers.
Overlook Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 54 reviews
Park offering picnic tables, kid-friendly hiking, trails, and views of the Hudson River.
Clendon Brook Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 39 reviews
Wooded hiking trails (some steep) with a brook running through them.
Freedom Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 33 reviews
Halfway Brook Trail Head
4.9 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
Halfway Brook Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
Moreau Lake State Park Stone Wall Trail
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Queensbury
- Match the surface to your legs. Queensbury gives you a choice: 3 natural surface, 2 boardwalk, and 1 mixed. 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? 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Queensbury are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 16 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. 5 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Queensbury. 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, 8 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 9 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 Queensbury trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Queensbury
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.