Running trails in Leesburg, VA
Leesburg has 16 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 7 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 2,388 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.
Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 442 reviews
Winding trails, wooded areas and an overlook highlight this scenic park.
Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 334 reviews
Historic site of a Civil War engagement, with living-history events & guided walking tours.
Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 262 reviews
Secluded, historic area on the water offering wooded hiking trails, picnic spots & kayaking areas.
Olde Izaak Walton Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 250 reviews
21-acre public park featuring a pond with a fishing pier, plus trails & an off-leash dog park.
Riverpoint Drive Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 207 reviews
Neighborhood park with a hiking trail leading to the Potomac River, and a canoe/kayak launch.
Potomac Crossing Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 178 reviews
Wooded, 8-acre park with a playground, picnic shelter & tables, plus open space & connecting trails.
Rust Nature Sanctuary
4.6 ★★★★★ 161 reviews
Tranquil nature preserve with 68 acres of wooded trails, a charming historic center & a garden.
Freedom Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Public park offering baseball and football fields, plus a public restroom.
Tuscarora Creek Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 113 reviews
Small park with a picnic shelter, kids' playground & access to a creekside biking trail.
W&OD Trailhead Leesburg
4.8 ★★★★★ 98 reviews
Long paved hiking and biking trail, featuring scenic views.
Edwards Landing Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 78 reviews
Natural setting with wooded paths over hills & along river, plus access to regional heritage trail.
Ball’s Bluff Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 69 reviews
Dog-friendly area featuring historic displays, hiking trails in a woodsy terrain abutting the Potomac River.
W&OD Trail Access at Tuscarora Creek Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 50 reviews
Town of Leesburg Veterans Park Trail Head
4.5 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Coton Bridge Trailhead
4 ★★★★☆ 6 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Leesburg
- Match the surface to your legs. Leesburg gives you a choice: 5 natural surface and 1 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Leesburg is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 16 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. 11 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Leesburg. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 6 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 Leesburg trails by type
Running trails near Leesburg
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.