Running trails in Lawton, OK
Lawton has 10 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 4 open 24 hours. 7 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 5,762 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.
Mount Scott
4.9 ★★★★★ 2,541 reviews
Mountainous area for hiking and photography, along with scenic vistas and a 360° view.
Elmer Thomas Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,348 reviews
This park features a playground, a splash pad, a covered picnic area, restrooms, a pond & more.
Liberty Lake Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 422 reviews
Playground, swings, slides, and ponds for ducks and geese.
Parallel Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 182 reviews
Wildlife refuge offering opportunities for hiking and biking, and home to free-roaming bison.
Lake Lawtonka Dam
4.6 ★★★★★ 129 reviews
Park featuring a lake where visitors can hike, fish, and bike.
Artillery Row Walking Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 43 reviews
Walk-through of artillery pieces and air defense weapons dating back 200 years, with placards for historical context.
Ambrosia Springs Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 36 reviews
Small, tranquil open space at Fort Sill with mature trees, play equipment & a picnic pavilion.
KG Park
5 ★★★★★ 7 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lawton
- Match the surface to your legs. Lawton gives you a choice: 2 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Lawton is Buffalo Soldiers Trail at 3 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Lawton are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 10 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. 2 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Lawton. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 dog-friendly. 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 Lawton trails by type
Running trails near Lawton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.