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Running trails in Matthews, NC
Matthews has 12 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 8 shaded, and 4 open 24 hours. 9 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 3,071 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.
Squirrel Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,315 reviews
Recreation area with a playground, charcoal grills, picnic tables, fishing piers & restrooms.
Idlewild Road Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 757 reviews
1.5 miles of groomed trails lure locals to this roomy park known for its play equipment & shelters.
Four Mile Creek Greenway, Matthews
4.7 ★★★★★ 280 reviews
Easy-going trail stretching through a suburban greenway, with scenic views.
Purser-Hulsey Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 218 reviews
Hiking and biking trails featuring an enchanted forest area, plus a dog run.
Matthews-Sardis Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 167 reviews
Small, shaded neighborhood park featuring play equipment, picnic tables and swings.
Campbell Creek Greenway Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 78 reviews
Wooded, wheelchair-accessible trail with a babbling stream that's great for hiking, running and biking.
Stevens Creek Nature Preserve - Hooks Road Trail Access
4.9 ★★★★★ 51 reviews
Forest park featuring walking trails for families, dogs and birds, plus a nature center.
Fair Garden Rocks
4.8 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
Irvins Creek Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
Four Mile Creek Greenway (Sportsplex Matthews)
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Matthews
- Match the surface to your legs. Matthews gives you a choice: 1 paved 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 2 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 Matthews is Squirrel Lake Park at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Matthews are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 12 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Matthews. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 8 shaded, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Matthews trails by type
Running trails near Matthews
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.