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Running trails in Clemson, SC
Clemson has 8 trails in the directory — 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 7 shaded. 7 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 2,169 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.
Twelve Mile Recreation Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 647 reviews
Park offering a beach, a boat ramp, multiple picnic areas, playgrounds, and grills.
Larry W. Abernathy Waterfront Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 465 reviews
Leafy lakefront park featuring a charming wooded expanse, multi-use shelter & paved walkways.
Nettles Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 438 reviews
Spacious park with dog areas, clean tennis courts and a playground.
Ashley Dearing Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 215 reviews
Local playground featuring a safe rubber surface for playing, plus baseball fields and creeks.
Mountain View Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 157 reviews
Lakeside park offering a wooded trail, boat ramp, disc-golf course & picturesque sunset views.
Jaycee Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 118 reviews
Swings, slides, picnic tables, and a playground dot this park for kids up to the age of 5.
The Dike
4.8 ★★★★★ 97 reviews
Relaxed park with a trail, a hill, and a lake for sunset views, picnics, and dogs.
Gateway Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 32 reviews
Neat park with mature trees, paths and a bioretention area.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Clemson
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is boardwalk (1 of 8). 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 boardwalk trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Clemson is Twelve Mile Recreation Area 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. 7 of the 8 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Clemson. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 7 shaded, 4 that runners describe as quiet, and 2 dog-friendly. 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 Clemson trails by type
Running trails near Clemson
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.