Running trails in Temple, TX
Temple has 16 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 12 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 3,660 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.
Lions Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 894 reviews
100-acre park featuring playgrounds, a pond, picnic facilities, softball fields, a dog park & more.
Miller Spring Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 895 reviews
Scenic outdoor space for hiking and fishing, plus kayaking and picnics.
Jaycee Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 716 reviews
Community recreation space with a playground & a pavilion, plus basketball & tennis courts.
South Temple Community Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 524 reviews
Kid-friendly park offering a playground, slides, lazy river and pool.
Oak Creek Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 212 reviews
Park featuring a farm-themed playground, a trail with exercise stations & a picnic pavilion.
Western Hills Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 109 reviews
Neighborhood playground and park featuring nature-inspired play structures, as well as barbecue grills.
Miller Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Pepper Creek Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 54 reviews
Flat, linear, paved, maintained trails for walking, biking and wildlife sightings.
Miller Springs Green Pond Information Kiosk
4.7 ★★★★★ 37 reviews
Kid-friendly destination offering an area for hiking.
Miller Springs Nature Center info station #4
5 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Bridge on "Georgetown RR" Hiking Trail-old wooden trestle
4 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews
Friars Creek Trail #2
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Temple
- Match the surface to your legs. Temple gives you a choice: 1 paved and 1 boardwalk. 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? 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 Temple is Miller Spring Park at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Temple are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 16 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 1 has trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 5 have a water fountain in Temple. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, and 7 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 Temple trails by type
Running trails near Temple
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.