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Running trails in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte has 30 trails in the directory — 8 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 6 with a stated distance, 9 shaded, and 6 open 24 hours. 18 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 12,568 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.
McDowell Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,048 reviews
This mostly undeveloped preserve with a lake has a nature center, campground, trails & play areas.
McAlpine Creek Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,270 reviews
114-acre county park with a lake & fishing pier, soccer fields, hiking & bike trails, & a dog park.
Reedy Creek Nature Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,471 reviews
Creekside walks & fishing spots in woodland with picnic shelters & ruins of pioneer-era cabins.
Reedy Creek Nature Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 821 reviews
Nature center with animals & a gift shop in a 927-acre preserve with fishing, hiking & more.
Sherman Branch Nature Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 602 reviews
Mountain bike park and nature preserve featuring winding trails for beginners and experts.
Clarks Creek Greenway
4.8 ★★★★★ 516 reviews
This 7-mile trail with a wooded creekside setting attracts bikers, runners & skateboarders.
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 518 reviews
19 miles of paved hiking & biking paths along Little Sugar Creek, with views & connections to parks.
Big Rock Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 539 reviews
This unassuming wooded area & wildlife habitat features 22 acres & large granite formations.
Evergreen Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 444 reviews
Unspoilt 77-acre urban hardwood forest preserve with a stream & trails & haven for migratory birds.
Ribbonwalk Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 443 reviews
Scenic park featuring a large beech tree grove, trails & several species of birds & butterflies.
James Boyce Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 316 reviews
Sizable park with a playground & fields for softball & soccer, plus wooded trails & picnic areas.
McMullen Creek Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 267 reviews
Popular with walkers, runners & cyclists, this nature trail features woodland, waterways & wildlife.
Little Sugar Creek Greenway (Sharon Road West)
4.8 ★★★★★ 164 reviews
Relaxing path for families, cyclists, runners and walkers alike, lined with trees and clean restrooms.
Iswa Nature Preserve
4.3 ★★★★☆ 183 reviews
Unpaved nature preserve featuring a looped trail along the Catawba River with benches.
Lake Pointe Hall, Colonel Francis Beatty Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 156 reviews
Park and pond with playgrounds and picnic spots that also hosts weddings, receptions and other events.
McAlpine Creek Greenway Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 154 reviews
Popular paved greenway with a pond, picnic area, restrooms, and dog park, plus wildlife sightings.
Little Sugar Creek Greenway: Tyvola Road to Huntingtowne Farm Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 71 reviews
Kid-friendly, 7-mile, paved trail system along Little Sugar Creek, for walkers, cyclists and runners, with parking areas.
Backyard Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 69 reviews
Popular mountain-biking destination featuring a network of mostly technical trails for experienced riders plus jumps and wood features.
Six Mile Creek Greenway
4.3 ★★★★☆ 71 reviews
Recreation spot providing a paved trail with opportunities for bird watching, hiking, and wildlife sightings.
Mint Hill Founders Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 45 reviews
Dog-friendly play area for both little and bigger kids, plus a hiking trail.
The Rail Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 24 reviews
3.5-mile walking path along the Lynx Blue Line, with bars, restaurants & artworks along the route.
Charlotte Latin Cross Country Trail
3.8 ★★★★☆ 5 reviews
McKee Creek Trail
2.7 ★★★☆☆ 6 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Charlotte
- Match the surface to your legs. Charlotte gives you a choice: 8 paved, 8 mixed, 4 natural surface, and 2 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 Charlotte is Little Sugar Creek Greenway at 115.7 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 6 trails in Charlotte are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 18 of the 30 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 22 have trailhead parking, 18 have restrooms, and 7 have a water fountain in Charlotte. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 9 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 12 that runners describe as quiet, 18 dog-friendly, and 6 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 Charlotte trails by type
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- 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 Charlotte
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.