Running trails in Brighton, UT
Brighton has 3 trails in the directory — 1 boardwalk, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 1 open 24 hours. 1 of them posts opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 947 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.
Lake Mary Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 282 reviews
Hiking area offering trails with lake views and wildflowers at varying elevations.
Willow Heights
4.7 ★★★★★ 230 reviews
Trail leading to a lake (and a meadow) where hikers can spot moose.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Brighton
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is boardwalk (1 of 3). 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? 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. 1 trail in Brighton is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 1 of the 3 listing carries 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. 2 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Brighton. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Brighton trails by type
Running trails near Brighton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.