Running trails in Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City has 41 trails in the directory — 6 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 6 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 with a stated distance, 12 shaded, and 10 open 24 hours. 38 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 28,313 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.
Sugar House Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 6,596 reviews
This sprawling green space with a pond lures locals for long walks, bike rides, basketball & soccer.
Memory Grove
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,368 reviews
Serene space with monuments, fountains, creekside paths, an off-leash area & picnic tables.
Ensign Peak Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,084 reviews
Easy to manage trail featuring a monument to early settlers that features panoramic views of the city and the Salt Lake Valley.
Jordan Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 2,367 reviews
33.5-acre city park hosts the International Peace Gardens, plus sports fields, a playground & more.
Fairmont Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 1,916 reviews
Natural space with sports fields, a pool, skate park & playground, plus picnic facilities.
Tanner Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,775 reviews
Amenities at this park include a little league field, tennis court, paved walkway & playground.
Ensign Peak
4.8 ★★★★★ 794 reviews
City park featuring a short, steep trail to an expansive scenic overlook with a historic monument.
Neffs Canyon
4.7 ★★★★★ 792 reviews
Pet-friendly trail system with snowshoeing for dogs and families.
Parleys Historic Nature Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 735 reviews
City retreat offering 68 acres of jogging & walking paths, plus an off-leash dog walking area.
Donut Falls
4.8 ★★★★★ 674 reviews
Easy trail featuring a waterfall that flows through a doughnut-shaped hole in a rock and down into a cave.
The Living Room Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 653 reviews
Starting point to a route leading to an overlook with sandstone slabs set up to resemble recliners.
Lower City Creek Nature Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 514 reviews
Relaxed, paved riverside trails and a road up a canyon featuring picnic areas.
Little Mountain Summit
4.7 ★★★★★ 480 reviews
Mountain spot with trail hiking and cycling options, plus parking.
Millcreek Canyon
4.7 ★★★★★ 415 reviews
Scenic canyon offering trails for hiking, running & biking, plus picnic areas & a mountain yurt.
City Creek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 416 reviews
Scenic, tree-lined park along City Creek featuring an arched bridge & walking paths.
City Creek Canyon Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 366 reviews
Popular hiking & jogging trail offers sweeping views of downtown Salt Lake City.
Olympus Hills
4.6 ★★★★★ 367 reviews
Playground, tennis courts and picnic tables dot this park with walking paths.
Evergreen Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 344 reviews
Family-friendly venue offering a playground featuring a pumpkin-shaped carriage as well as an open field and picnic tables, plus swings.
Grandeur Peak (Face) Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 303 reviews
Strenuous hike up a valley overlook, featuring mountain views and steep inclines.
Millcreek Pipeline Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 282 reviews
Scenic trail popular with hikers and cyclists.
Wasatch Hollow Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 288 reviews
Grassy park with swings, slides, picnic tables and trails leading to a creek.
Westpointe Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 279 reviews
Jordan River OHV State Recreation Area
4.3 ★★★★☆ 280 reviews
This park has motocross tracks for off-highway motorcycles & ATVs, plus a playground & picnic site.
Terrace Hills Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 176 reviews
Hiking area with many routes, including the well-maintained Avenues Twin Peaks Trail.
Hidden Hollow
4.5 ★★★★★ 157 reviews
Former construction debris-strewn area now run as a naturalistic park with benches & picnicking.
Living Room Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 148 reviews
Hike featuring 'furniture' rocks for seating and a city backdrop.
Donner Trail Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 98 reviews
Park with 2 playgrounds, picnic tables, and a trail, plus sunset views.
Bonneville Shoreline Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 95 reviews
Peaceful preserve with trails for hikers, bikers, and dogs, plus Salt Lake City views.
Tomahawk Natural Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 90 reviews
Nature preserve with kid-friendly hiking, and mountain biking trails.
Avenues Twin Peaks
4.8 ★★★★★ 75 reviews
Kid-friendly area with trails for hiking and mountain biking, plus scenic views.
Modesto Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 72 reviews
Relaxed neighborhood park featuring a playground for kids, along with a boat ramp for canoes.
Dry Gulch Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 58 reviews
Clearly-marked starting point for hikers & mountain bikers plus a gradual incline & smooth trail.
Bend in the River
4.2 ★★★★☆ 61 reviews
Wasatch Crest Trail
4.9 ★★★★★ 35 reviews
Downhill-heavy MTB trail accessed by shuttle where bikers have to yield to hikers.
S-Line Greenway
4.4 ★★★★☆ 19 reviews
Urban hiking & biking path alongside a streetcar line, linking parks & other points of interest.
Jordan River Parkway
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Salt Lake City Foothills Natural Area
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Salt Lake City
- Match the surface to your legs. Salt Lake City gives you a choice: 6 paved, 6 natural surface, 4 mixed, and 2 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? 6 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 Salt Lake City is Bonneville Shoreline Preserve at 13.5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 10 trails in Salt Lake City are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 38 of the 41 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 34 have trailhead parking, 14 have restrooms, and 11 have a water fountain in Salt Lake City. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 12 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 23 dog-friendly, and 7 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 Salt Lake City trails by type
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Salt Lake City
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.