Running trails in Sandy, UT
Sandy has 21 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 7 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 15 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 8,326 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.
Bell Canyon Granite Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,169 reviews
Family-friendly hike featuring waterfalls and valley views.
Dimple Dell Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 818 reviews
Expansive park offering hiking, biking & horseback riding along with ponds, streams & picnic areas.
Rocky Mouth Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 784 reviews
Beginning point for a popular, mile-long nature walk to a steep cascade & pool of water.
Hidden Valley Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 739 reviews
Picturesque setup with picnic & play areas, paved walking path & access to a mountain trail system.
Lone Peak Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 724 reviews
City park with mountain views offering ball fields, playgrounds, a running path & skateboarding.
Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir
4.8 ★★★★★ 626 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area offering views of a reservoir, valleys, and abundant wildlife.
Bell Canyon Boulders Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 537 reviews
Hikes to the Bell Canyon Reservoir, with views of the valley, flowers, and a waterfall, plus longer hikes to Twin Peaks.
Storm Mountain Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 543 reviews
Recreation area with picnic tables and a playground, plus sports fields, tennis courts, and a trail.
Flat Iron Mesa Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 525 reviews
Large urban space featuring a paved path, picnic tables and soccer fields, plus playgrounds and tennis courts.
Granite Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 377 reviews
Quiet neighborhood park with a kids' playground and mountain trails.
Bell Canyon Waterfall
4.8 ★★★★★ 336 reviews
Challenging hiking trail featuring a waterfall, a reservoir and a lake.
Falcon Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 338 reviews
Soccer & baseball fields, a half-mile walking trail & picnic & play areas on 17 landscaped acres.
Little Cottonwood Creek Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 268 reviews
Easy-going riverfront trail for hiking and mountain biking, also used for family outings.
Gloria Falls Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 175 reviews
Popular trek through the woods to rocky, pretty waterfalls and views.
Jordan River Parkway Trailhead Entrance
4.5 ★★★★★ 89 reviews
Park featuring trails for walking, biking, and exploring with the family.
Dimple Dell Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 74 reviews
Area for hiking on meandering bark or dirt/sand trails through scrub oak and grass with views.
Temple Quarry Nature Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Ecological park featuring a family-friendly hiking trail with scenic canyon views.
Dimple Dell East Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 58 reviews
Well-kept trail system for hiking, dog-walking and mountain biking, with mountain vistas.
Wrangler Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 59 reviews
Scenic trail for running and biking, with restrooms and picnic tables.
Midvale Jordan River Parkway
4.4 ★★★★☆ 14 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Sandy
- Match the surface to your legs. Sandy gives you a choice: 6 natural surface, 4 paved, and 3 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 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 Sandy is Dimple Dell Regional Park at 15 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Sandy is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 15 of the 21 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. 15 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Sandy. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 7 shaded, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 8 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 Sandy trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Mixed 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
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Sandy
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.