Running trails in Gresham, OR
Gresham has 11 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 3 shaded. 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 5,433 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.
Oxbow Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,658 reviews
Old-growth woodland recreation area on the Sandy River with 12 miles of trails & campsites.
Main City Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,396 reviews
Green space with amenities such as a dog run, Japanese garden, skate park & playgrounds.
Red Sunset Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 1,264 reviews
Relaxed, well-loved city park featuring duck ponds, playgrounds, and basketball courts along with picnic facilities.
Butler Creek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 366 reviews
Spacious neighborhood park with grassy areas, basketball courts and playgrounds.
Hogan Butte Nature Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 269 reviews
Public park with a wheelchair-accessible paved trail offering scenic views of the Cascade Mountains.
Kane Road Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 174 reviews
Park featuring a playground and trails that winds through the woods.
Jenne Butte Park
4 ★★★★☆ 102 reviews
This basic 6.7-acre forested park along Johnson Creek features springs & wetlands.
East Gresham Park
3.6 ★★★★☆ 88 reviews
Kid-friendly park for walks, picnics and bike rides, plus a play area.
Gabbert Butte
4.4 ★★★★☆ 71 reviews
Hiking area known for its elevation gain, and kid-friendly trails.
Linnemann Station Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 29 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Gresham
- Match the surface to your legs. Gresham gives you a choice: 3 paved, 2 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? 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 Gresham is Oxbow Regional Park at 12 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- 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. 9 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. 6 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Gresham. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 9 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 Gresham trails by type
Running trails near Gresham
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.