Running trails in Riverhead, NY
Riverhead has 10 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 2 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 1,555 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.
Stotzky Memorial Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 441 reviews
Hallock State Park Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 115 reviews
Secluded state park with a beach and marked hiking trails often used for walks.
Riverhead Recreation Department
4.6 ★★★★★ 38 reviews
Sound Avenue Nature Preserve
3.2 ★★★☆☆ 21 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Riverhead
- Match the surface to your legs. Riverhead gives you a choice: 3 boardwalk and 1 natural surface. 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 boardwalk 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 Riverhead is Cranberry Bog Nature Preserve at 1 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Riverhead 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 10 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 and 3 have restrooms in Riverhead. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 with mile markers, 4 that runners describe as quiet, and 3 dog-friendly. 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 Riverhead trails by type
Running trails near Riverhead
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.