Running trails in Kent, OH
Kent has 11 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 1 shaded. 8 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 1,750 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.
Franklin Mills Riveredge Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 576 reviews
Riverfront recreation area with historic signage as well as waterfalls and biking trails.
Towner's Woods
4.7 ★★★★★ 561 reviews
234-acre wooded park with hiking & cross-country skiing trails, sledding hills & picnic shelters.
Cooperrider-Kent Bog State Nature Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 272 reviews
Popular destination for nature walks along a boardwalk with benches & informative signs.
Portage Hike & Bike Trail Franklin Connector
4.8 ★★★★★ 80 reviews
Starting site for a paved multipurpose trail along a former Native American transportation route.
Cranberry Creek Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 78 reviews
Park featuring a fenced-in area for dogs to exercise.
Fred Fuller Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Public park with a playground, picnic pavilions, and trails, plus a river.
Brimfield Lions Community Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Casual public park featuring slides, swings, soccer fields and sand volleyball courts.
Brady's Leap Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
Portage county Bike and hike trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
Walk and Hike trail
4.9 ★★★★★ 7 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Kent
- Match the surface to your legs. Kent gives you a choice: 2 paved, 2 mixed, and 1 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? 1 trail here is a loop, 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 8 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 9 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Kent. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 2 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 Kent trails by type
Running trails near Kent
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.