Running trails in Molalla, OR
Molalla has 12 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 5 open 24 hours. 11 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 537 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.
Clark Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 191 reviews
Tree-filled green space featuring a disc golf course, plus a playground and picnic tables.
Hardy Creek Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 75 reviews
Trails for hiking and mountain biking that can accommodate short strolls or longer treks.
Ivor Davies Park (north entrance)
4.3 ★★★★☆ 76 reviews
Park featuring benches, picnic tables, and a walking trail, as well as a disc golf course.
Shorty's Pond (Park)
3.9 ★★★★☆ 23 reviews
Old Bridge Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
Toliver Walking/Biking Path
4.3 ★★★★☆ 8 reviews
Ivor Davies Nature Park
2.5 ★★★☆☆ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Molalla
- Match the surface to your legs. Molalla gives you a choice: 3 natural surface and 1 paved. 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 natural surface 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 Molalla is Amanda's Trail at 20 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Molalla are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 12 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. 4 have trailhead parking and 1 has restrooms in Molalla. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 3 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Molalla trails by type
Running trails near Molalla
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.