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Running trails in Wilmington, NC
Wilmington has 16 trails in the directory — 9 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 13 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 9,374 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.
Long Leaf Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,499 reviews
Wooded park with lighted baseball fields & tennis courts, ample picnic shelters & a 1.5 mile trail.
Ogden Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,313 reviews
County park with ball fields, a pond, a skate park & an off-leash dog zone, plus BBQ/picnic areas.
Smith Creek Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,109 reviews
Lake boating & fishing draw visitors to this preserve with a walking path, playground & picnic area.
Empie Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 770 reviews
Park with 19 tennis courts & a clubhouse, plus basketball courts, a playground & a ball field.
Arrowhead Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 504 reviews
Park with amenities such as a disc golf course, tennis and basketball courts, and a playground, plus picnic tables.
Wade Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 323 reviews
Public park with trails & a boardwalk through wetland areas, plus a playground & picnic tables.
Anne McCrary Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 189 reviews
Park featuring picnic areas and kid-friendly hiking trails, as well as turtles.
Abbey Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 129 reviews
Local park offering shaded, well-marked walking trails through natural surroundings.
Pages Creek Park Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 110 reviews
Laid-back trail through the trees with a kayak launch on the water.
Hanover Pines Nature Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Pet-friendly reserve for walking and biking, plus a large dog park and an owl-themed playground.
Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve
4.3 ★★★★☆ 85 reviews
Nature preserve featuring forest and pond on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus.
Summer Rest Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 51 reviews
Paved trail near Wrightsville Beach offering views of the Intracoastal Waterway and private homes.
Long Leaf Nature Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 11 reviews
End of Cross City Trail (Wilm)
4.3 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Wilmington
- Match the surface to your legs. Wilmington gives you a choice: 9 paved, 3 mixed, 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? 3 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 Wilmington is Greenfield Park at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Wilmington are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 16 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 12 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Wilmington. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 9 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 Wilmington trails by type
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface 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 Wilmington
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.