Running trails in Burlington, VT
Burlington has 13 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 boardwalk, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 4 open 24 hours. 9 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 5,747 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.
Waterfront Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,833 reviews
Community park on the lake featuring a boardwalk, sailing lessons & kayak & canoe rentals.
Oakledge Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 965 reviews
Located on Lake Champlain, this park has a rocky swimming beach, sports facilities & a playground.
Ethan Allen Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 366 reviews
Large, scenic historic area with shady trees & many trails, plus the Ethan Allen tower.
The Salmon Hole on the Winooski River
4.4 ★★★★☆ 228 reviews
Picturesque waterfront park featuring fishing, swimming and a riverside trail.
Centennial Woods Natural Area
4.5 ★★★★★ 160 reviews
65-acre nature preserve with forests & streams, plus hiking trails & rustic boardwalks.
Derway Island Nature Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 16 reviews
Arms Forest
4.4 ★★★★☆ 5 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Burlington
- Match the surface to your legs. Burlington gives you a choice: 2 natural surface, 1 paved, and 1 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 natural surface 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. 4 trails in Burlington are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 11 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Burlington. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 that runners describe as quiet, 4 dog-friendly, and 3 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 Burlington trails by type
Running trails near Burlington
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.