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Running trails in Cottonwood Heights, UT
Cottonwood Heights has 6 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 3 shaded. 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 2,821 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.
Mountview Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,214 reviews
Venue featuring playgrounds, soccer fields, basketball & tennis courts, plus a splash pad.
Crestwood Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 666 reviews
Acreage, with a playground, tennis courts and an outdoor pool, that's known for its foxes.
Ferguson Canyon Trail Head
4.6 ★★★★★ 508 reviews
Hiking trail with views, waterfalls, rock climbing areas, and wildflowers.
Mill Hollow Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 217 reviews
Neighborhood park with a paved path, a playground and picnic tables and benches.
Big Cottonwood Canyon Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 202 reviews
Neighborhood park offering a paved creekside trail with benches.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Cottonwood Heights
- Match the surface to your legs. Cottonwood Heights gives you a choice: 2 paved and 2 mixed. 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? 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. The longest stated distance in Cottonwood Heights is Crestwood Park at 1.3 mi.
- 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. 5 of the 6 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Cottonwood Heights. 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 and 5 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 Cottonwood Heights trails by type
Running trails near Cottonwood Heights
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.