Running trails in St. George, UT
St. George has 20 trails in the directory — 6 paved and 11 on crushed gravel or dirt, 10 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 5 shaded, and 7 open 24 hours. 16 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 9,492 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.
Pioneer Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,878 reviews
Rocky 52-acre park featuring Dixie Rock, views of the city, hiking, BBQs & a covered pavilion.
Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,565 reviews
Divided into upland & lowland sections, this protected area is famous for its red-rock cliffs.
Chuckwalla Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 486 reviews
Red rocks & desert wildlife at a popular connector trail in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.
New Bearclaw Poppy Navajo Trailhead (Biking)
4.8 ★★★★★ 460 reviews
Mountain biking area offering a network of smooth, single-track trails for riders of all skill levels.
Cottonwood Cove Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 369 reviews
Kid-friendly amusement park with swings, slides and picnic tables.
Crosby Family Confluence Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 365 reviews
Grassy green space offering paved trails for walking and biking, plus picnic tables and pavilions.
Brooks Nature Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 258 reviews
Small park featuring a pond with wildlife and a trail, plus picnic areas.
Slick Rock Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 233 reviews
Park featuring a 9-foot-tall rock-climbing wall and loop path.
Temple Quarry Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 190 reviews
Easy trail for all ages, with views of the surrounding area and the occasional bench.
Springs Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 181 reviews
Quaint park featuring a duck pond with geese and swans.
Virgin River Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 149 reviews
Paved trail for hikers and bikers along the Virgin River, offering views of ancient bluffs.
Scout Cave
4.7 ★★★★★ 81 reviews
Hiking route through desert terrain featuring a cave, waterfalls and lava fields.
Owens Loop Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 66 reviews
Trail featuring views of the city and redrock formations.
Desert Canyons Trailhead
4.9 ★★★★★ 48 reviews
Network of well-maintained loops for hikers, mountain bikers, and runners on private land.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in St. George
- Match the surface to your legs. St. George gives you a choice: 10 natural surface, 6 paved, and 1 crushed gravel. 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? 10 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 St. George is New Bearclaw Poppy Navajo Trailhead (Biking) at 4.2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 7 trails in St. George are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 16 of the 20 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in St. George. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 1 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 St. George trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Loop trails
- 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 St. George
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.