Running trails in Columbus, OH
Columbus has 31 trails in the directory — 8 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 8 open 24 hours. 24 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 16,251 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.
Blendon Woods Metro Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,536 reviews
This 653-acre park offers a waterfowl refuge & a nature center plus disc golf & ice-skating.
Scioto Audubon Metro Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,145 reviews
Bird habitats plus hiking, fishing, volleyball, dog parks & a climbing wall on 120 riverside acres.
Antrim Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,256 reviews
This expansive community resource offers multiple sports fields & courts, plus walking trails.
Griggs Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,191 reviews
Riverfront spot offering boating, trails, nature preserves, lighted woods & a disc-golf course.
Scioto Mile Promenade
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,204 reviews
Downtown riverfront promenade, featuring bike trails, fountains and green space.
Big Run Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 837 reviews
Sprawling wooded park offers wetlands, soap box derby events, a simple playground & various trails.
Wolfe Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 612 reviews
Green space with walking trails for dogs and playgrounds, plus sports fields including tennis courts.
Glen Echo Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 605 reviews
Deep ravine featuring a stream, waterfall and bird murals, plus hiking trails, picnic tables and woods.
Nelson Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 459 reviews
Sizable green space with access to greenway trails, athletic courts, playground & picnic areas.
Quarry Trails Millikin Falls Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 346 reviews
City park offering a playground, walking trails, picnic tables, and a waterfall.
Alum Creek Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 286 reviews
Popular 30-mile-long trail following a creek and passing through multiple parks and green spaces that's frequented by joggers.
Quarry Trails Metro Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 113 reviews
Kid-friendly, dog-friendly metro park with playgrounds and canoeing.
Academy Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 106 reviews
Public park featuring a creek, a trail, and a bridge, plus a restroom.
The Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 90 reviews
Wetland area with university research center, trails & an observation pavilion, open to the public.
Olentangy Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 85 reviews
Pedestrian and scenic trail that follows the Olentangy River, popular for walking and biking.
Boehnke Nature Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 79 reviews
Kid-friendly park featuring a pond, trails and creeks, plus woods and nature walks.
Sancus Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 81 reviews
Compact spot for children featuring a playground and picnic tables.
Camp Chase Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 22 reviews
Olentangy Water Trail-Launch Site
3.8 ★★★★☆ 19 reviews
Sugarbush Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
Nationwide Blvd - Olentangy River Trail Bridge
4.9 ★★★★★ 10 reviews
Scioto Trail
4.9 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
Rush Run Nature Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Alum Creek Trail-Leonard Ave connector path
4.3 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Columbus
- Match the surface to your legs. Columbus gives you a choice: 8 paved, 6 mixed, and 2 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? 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 Columbus is Olentangy Nature Trail at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 8 trails in Columbus are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 24 of the 31 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. 18 have trailhead parking, 11 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Columbus. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 11 dog-friendly, and 5 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 Columbus trails by type
Running trails near Columbus
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.