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Running trails in Durham, NC
Durham has 22 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 8 on crushed gravel or dirt, 7 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 2 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 16 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 4,765 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.
Eno River State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 2,650 reviews
Vast acres of woodlands for hiking & camping, with canoeing & fishing areas on the Eno River.
Duke Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 450 reviews
Over 7,000 acres of land maintained by Duke University for teaching, research & recreational use.
Sandy Creek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 291 reviews
Lively park featuring a butterfly garden, walking trails and picnic spots as well as a pond.
Hollow Rock Nature Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 245 reviews
Forested park with easy walking paths, plus a waterfall and a creek.
Sennett's Hole
4.5 ★★★★★ 162 reviews
Swimming basin is free to enter and features turtles.
Pump Station Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 121 reviews
Park, hiking area, and trail offering ruins of a pump station and hiking trails.
Penny's Bend
4.5 ★★★★★ 125 reviews
Nature preserve with trails for hiking, plus fishing, and observation of native plants.
Cabelands Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 90 reviews
Hiking area with well-marked trails of varied terrain, including one along the river.
Buckquarter Creek Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 80 reviews
Shallow river known for its rapids and waterfalls, plus easy to moderate trails for hiking and swimming.
Duke Forest - Shepherd Nature Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 66 reviews
Short, self-guided hiking trail looping through Duke Forest with informational signs on trees.
Glennstone Nature Preserve
4.4 ★★★★☆ 63 reviews
Hiking area featuring woods, car graveyard and fishing pond amid a nature preserve.
American Tobacco Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 57 reviews
Park offering paved trails that are suitable for children.
Duke Forest Gate 26
4.7 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Natural paths for hiking, plus creeks and a dog-friendly atmosphere.
Brumley Nature Preserve Expansion
4.9 ★★★★★ 19 reviews
Al Buehler Cross Country Trail
5 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Brightleaf Nature Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Durham
- Match the surface to your legs. Durham gives you a choice: 6 natural surface, 4 mixed, 3 paved, and 2 crushed gravel. 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? 7 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 Durham is Hollow Rock Nature Park at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Durham are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 16 of the 22 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. 12 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Durham. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 4 with mile markers, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 13 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Durham trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel 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 Durham
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.