Running trails in Suffolk, VA
Suffolk has 8 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 2 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 4 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 2,276 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.
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,084 reviews
Home to birds, bears, otters & other animals, this vast preserve offers hunting, fishing & tours.
Lake Meade Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 617 reviews
Kid-friendly park featuring walking trails and a dog park plus tennis courts and playground equipment.
Lone Star Lakes Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 235 reviews
Wooded park with 11 lakes & a 4-mile horse trail, plus opportunities for hiking & canoeing.
Jerico-Hudnell Ditch Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Suffolk
- Match the surface to your legs. Suffolk gives you a choice: 3 paved, 2 boardwalk, and 1 mixed. 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? 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. The longest stated distance in Suffolk is Suffolk Seaboard Coastline Trail Kings Hwy Trailhead at 6.5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Suffolk is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 8 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. 6 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Suffolk. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 4 dog-friendly, and 5 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 Suffolk trails by type
- Paved trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- 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 Suffolk
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.