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American Tobacco Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 117 Google reviews · Running trail in Durham, North Carolina · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from American Tobacco Trail's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
What runners say about American Tobacco Trail
“Pathways are well maintained, suitable for many outdoor activities (ex.”
“One of these happened on a rare occasion when I had nothing to do but exist for the entire morning and it was beautiful with lots of sunshine.”
“Great place for a long run from Durham.”
“Different access points and multiple degree of hills and shade.”
A rail-to-trail project that runs 22.6 miles (36.4km) through Durham, Chatham, and Wake counties. Pathways are well maintained, suitable for many outdoor activities (ex. walk, run, bike, longboard, roller-blade).
Wonderful rain trail. Good for rollerblading - it's fully paved (at least 6mikes out). Safe crossings. Bathroom at the parking lot, with ample parking there or along the road. Decent tree cover. No water fountains.
This is not a destination so much as a point on a sidewalk. There is street parking in the area, but there are lots of intersecting roads at this point. Other than saying 0.0 on the greenway/sidewalk, there's not much to notice this is a trailhead. You can find rent on the spot bikes here always.
Enjoyed a wonderful walk here today. What a great resource to have. I'm from out of town, so I was thrilled to find a place to have my daily prayer walk. My only complaint is that free parking is difficult to locate, so I had to pay.
Trail conditions & character
“There is street parking in the area, but there are lots of intersecting roads at this point.”
“It would be even better with occasional signs encouraging pedestrians to be more mindful of their surroundings — especially when walking on the paved bike path.”
“One of these happened on a rare occasion when I had nothing to do but exist for the entire morning and it was beautiful with lots of sunshine.”
“Different access points and multiple degree of hills and shade.”
“Although there are some water fountains along the path, it's recommended to bring your own water just to be safe and stay hydrated.”
Plan your run at American Tobacco Trail
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking, water — reported by runners
Hours
| Monday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Tuesday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Thursday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Friday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5 AM–10 PM |
| Sunday | 5 AM–10 PM |
Running trails near Durham
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
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Duke Forest
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