Running trails in Hopewell, VA
Hopewell has 10 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 3 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 2 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 2,030 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.
Old City Point Waterfront Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 507 reviews
City park featuring picnic areas, a fishing pier, walking trails, and water views.
Hopewell City Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 401 reviews
Seaside park featuring a playground, a beachy area and a fishing pier for anglers.
Crystal Lake Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 249 reviews
Clean, family-friendly recreational area with playgrounds, trails and a pond.
Mathis Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 251 reviews
Park offering a playground, baseball fields, a softball field, and a walking trail.
Petersburg National Battlefield-City Point Unit
4.5 ★★★★★ 207 reviews
Park with historical significance, including the cabin used by General Grant, and walking trails, plus fishing.
Hopewell Riverwalk
4.7 ★★★★★ 191 reviews
Family-friendly green space with a beach, playgrounds, and river views.
Arlington Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Clean space offering an abundance of play equipment for children and basketball courts.
Woodlawn Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 75 reviews
Playground featuring swings and slides, plus picnic tables and workout equipment.
Hopewell Riverside Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Hopewell
- Match the surface to your legs. Hopewell gives you a choice: 3 boardwalk and 2 paved. 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 boardwalk trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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. 2 trails in Hopewell 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 10 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking and 7 have restrooms in Hopewell. 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, 2 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 Hopewell trails by type
Running trails near Hopewell
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.