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Running trails in Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach has 23 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 7 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 6 with a stated distance, 5 shaded, and 11 open 24 hours. 20 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 22,046 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.
Mount Trashmore Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 8,942 reviews
Former landfill now a city recreational area with a skate park, picnicking & sports facilities.
First Landing State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 7,336 reviews
Cape Henry beachfront park & historic site with marshes, maritime forest, hiking & canoe trails.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,813 reviews
Wetlands refuge that hosts thousands of migratory waterfowl, including snow geese & tundra swans.
Lake Smith Lake Lawson Natural Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 891 reviews
42-acre parkland on the lake, offering shady hiking trails, a playground, docks & fishing spots.
Pleasure House Point Natural Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 809 reviews
Natural spot for relaxed recreation on 118 acres of marshlands & wildlife habitat, with boat access.
False Cape State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 511 reviews
Pristine maritime forest & coastline not accessible by private car, with biking trails & kayaking.
Stumpy Lake Natural Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 438 reviews
Small park featuring short, easy trails, a kayak launch, and a public restroom.
Lake Lawson
4.7 ★★★★★ 336 reviews
Popular spot for fishing, with pavilions, a playground, trails, and launch ramps for canoes and kayaks.
West Neck Creek Natural Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 252 reviews
Unmarked, mostly paved paths at a shady public park with an old house, and a coffee shop nearby.
Marshview Park (Northside)
4.7 ★★★★★ 245 reviews
Sprawling park featuring paved and dirt walking paths, along with a dog park.
Bald Cypress Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 186 reviews
Serene trail featuring boardwalks through lagoons with bald cypress, Spanish moss & dragonflies.
Cape Henry Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 84 reviews
State park with well-maintained trails for hiking, biking, and jogging, plus a public restroom.
South Beach Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Virginia Beach
- Match the surface to your legs. Virginia Beach gives you a choice: 7 mixed, 5 natural surface, 4 paved, 2 crushed gravel, and 2 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 mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 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. The longest stated distance in Virginia Beach is First Landing State Park at 20 mi. 5 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 11 trails in Virginia Beach are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 20 of the 23 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 6 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 15 have trailhead parking, 11 have restrooms, and 7 have a water fountain in Virginia Beach. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 3 with mile markers, 11 that runners describe as quiet, 12 dog-friendly, and 18 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 Virginia Beach trails by type
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- 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 Virginia Beach
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.