Running trails in DeSoto, TX
DeSoto has 6 trails in the directory — 3 shaded and 1 open 24 hours. 5 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 1,445 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.
Grimes Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 823 reviews
City park on 75 acres, with baseball/softball, soccer & BMX facilities, concessions & picnicking.
Les Zeiger Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 427 reviews
Laid-back park featuring basketball courts, baseball fields and a jogging trail.
Murphy Hills Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 79 reviews
Clean park featuring a trail for walking and bike riding, along with a large playground.
Kiva Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 64 reviews
Neighborhood park with exposed rock formations and a covered playground.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in DeSoto
- Match the surface to your legs. 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.
- 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in DeSoto is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 6 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in DeSoto. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 2 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 DeSoto trails by type
Running trails near DeSoto
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.