Running trails in Salem, OR
Salem has 20 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 19 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 13,832 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.
Riverfront City Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 5,481 reviews
Riverside green area with a playground, an amphitheater, a carousel & the Eco Earth Globe sculpture.
Minto-Brown Island Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,790 reviews
898-acre site with paved trails in open & wooded areas, picnic & play areas & an off-leash dog park.
Cascades Gateway City Park
3.7 ★★★★☆ 1,352 reviews
This 102-acre park offers ball fields, 18 holes of disc golf, fishing, trails & picnic facilities.
Woodmansee Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 1,005 reviews
Outdoor activity space with a soccer field, disc golf & tennis courts, plus trails & a playground.
Riverfront Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 559 reviews
Scenic park featuring a carousel for kids and a stage for musicians, plus walking paths.
Orchard Heights Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 472 reviews
Popular park featuring a dog area and baseball fields, plus basketball and tennis courts, creek access, and playground.
Oregon State Capitol State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 459 reviews
Stone plaques & state flags add historic elements to a landscaped area with fountains & sculpture.
Bryan Johnston Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 376 reviews
Neighborhood park featuring a walking loop, a toddler playground & a half-court basketball court.
Joryville Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 300 reviews
Quiet park with scenic views from the hillside and multiple walking loops, plus shaded picnic spots.
Clark Creek Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 261 reviews
Relaxed neighborhood park with creeks and playgrounds for the kids.
Bonesteele County Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 156 reviews
Small recreational space featuring a meadow, a boulder-strewn loop and a woodland area.
Croisan Creek Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 147 reviews
Wooded hiking and biking trail featuring a surprise paved section.
Spring Valley State Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 115 reviews
Small green space on the Willamette River with quiet trails for hiking and biking.
Walsh's Landing Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Large dog park, arboretum, kayaking spot and trail-filled park with water views.
Skyline Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 80 reviews
Hiking area near a high school with varied paths, old-growth trees, and a field.
Straub Nature Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 72 reviews
Scenic loop and side trails traversing a wood-chip-littered woodland park.
Fairview Wetlands Scenic Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 49 reviews
Dog-friendly trail through wetlands where you can see wildlife including beavers.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Salem
- Match the surface to your legs. Salem gives you a choice: 4 natural surface, 4 mixed, and 3 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? 5 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 Salem is Spring Valley State Park at 1 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Salem is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 19 of the 20 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Salem. 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, 9 that runners describe as quiet, 18 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 Salem trails by type
Running trails near Salem
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.