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Running trails in York, PA
York has 17 trails in the directory — 5 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 14 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 10,631 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.
Cousler Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,052 reviews
Large, popular park with a small lake & sports fields, plus running/biking paths & a playground.
Springettsbury Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,794 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring a playground, basketball courts, baseball fields and picnic tables.
Rocky Ridge Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,654 reviews
Forested park with miles of multi-use trails plus attractions such as a softball field & playground.
John Rudy County Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,511 reviews
Familiar dog park with separate areas for big & little dogs, plus a playground, trails & a creek.
William H. Kain County Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,309 reviews
Scenic park featuring trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding, plus 2 lakes & kayak rentals.
Samuel S Lewis State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 835 reviews
Park where people fly kites, stargaze & sled on 885-foot Mt. Pisgah, with places to hike & picnic.
York Township Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 550 reviews
Relaxed park featuring ball fields and a playground, plus walking trails.
Nixon Park Nature Center
4.8 ★★★★★ 372 reviews
Park featuring a nature center, museum and hiking trails plus birds and kid-friendly events.
Heritage Rail Trail - York City
4.4 ★★★★☆ 217 reviews
Park offering 21 mi. of trails for walking, biking, jogging, and dog walking, plus a scenic view.
Mill Creek Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 153 reviews
Small, flat, dog-friendly reserve featuring a creek, picnic tables, and trails.
Stillmeadow Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 64 reviews
Public park with a playground and tennis courts, plus a trail for walking.
Reservoir Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 39 reviews
Park with a gazebo, wooded area, and trails for walking, sledding, and dogs.
Sunset Lane Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 21 reviews
York Reservoir Trailhead
5 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in York
- Match the surface to your legs. York gives you a choice: 5 paved, 2 natural surface, and 2 mixed. 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in York are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 14 of the 17 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 11 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in York. 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, 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 York trails by type
Running trails near York
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.