Running trails in Lynchburg, VA
Lynchburg has 18 trails in the directory — 8 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, and 2 shaded. 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 3,602 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.
Riverside Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,000 reviews
Riverfront open space with a large field for sports & festivals, with trails for hiking or biking.
Peaks View Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 936 reviews
Tennis courts, multipurpose fields, playgrounds & trails offered in the city's second-largest park.
Hollins Mill Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 610 reviews
Quiet space for walking or biking on a paved trail, plus a waterfall.
Blackwater Creek Natural Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 366 reviews
Serene, wooded nature preserve offering scenic paved & dirt trails for biking, jogging & walking.
Ivy Creek Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 343 reviews
A sprawling lake and park with trails for biking and fishing, plus a playground and rentals for canoes, kayaks and paddleboats.
Blackwater Creek Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 157 reviews
Recreation area with trails, an off-leash dog park & a lighted grass lawn for soccer & football.
Outdoor Trails
4.6 ★★★★★ 48 reviews
Shop offering camping gear, backpacks and clothing for outdoor activities like hiking and climbing.
Liberty Mtn Trail System - Mike Donahue Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 46 reviews
Trails for hiking and mountain biking, running and walking, plus a bike-repair station.
Liberty Mountain Trail System Trailhead
5 ★★★★★ 7 reviews
Riverwalk Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lynchburg
- Match the surface to your legs. Lynchburg gives you a choice: 8 paved, 4 mixed, and 1 natural surface. 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 5 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. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 9 of the 18 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. 6 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Lynchburg. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Lynchburg trails by type
Running trails near Lynchburg
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.