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Running trails in East Stroudsburg, PA
East Stroudsburg has 11 trails in the directory — 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 with a stated distance, and 5 open 24 hours. 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 2,047 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.
Smithfield Beach
4.4 ★★★★☆ 922 reviews
Grassy beach, park and recreation area, featuring picnic spots, a boat launch, lifeguards on duty and biking trails.
ForEvergreen Nature Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 195 reviews
Former golf course featuring serene trails and a creek, plus eagles.
Minisink Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 169 reviews
Hiker-friendly park featuring trails and open fields for soccer, baseball and other sports.
Mt. Nebo Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 121 reviews
Peaceful forest for picnics and picnics, plus marked hiking routes, some wildlife and a pond.
Marshalls Falls Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Kid-friendly park featuring a waterfall at the end of a paved hike amid steep trails and loose rocks.
Hialeah Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 79 reviews
Woodland trail leading to a river, with options for boating, hiking and biking.
McDade Recreational Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 72 reviews
Long trail for biking and hiking, plus a section with stairs that only allows walking.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in East Stroudsburg
- Match the surface to your legs. East Stroudsburg gives you a choice: 4 mixed, 2 crushed gravel, 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 mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 4 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 East Stroudsburg is Thunder Swamp Trail Junction at 18.3 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 East Stroudsburg are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 8 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in East Stroudsburg. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 6 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 East Stroudsburg trails by type
Running trails near East Stroudsburg
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.