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Running trails in Arlington, WA
Arlington has 19 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 12 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 3,825 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.
Haller Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,327 reviews
Leafy park with walking trails, a playground, picnic facilities & access to the Stillaguamish River.
River Meadows County Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 729 reviews
Fishing, swimming, hiking & other activities on 150 acres with campgrounds & a yurt village.
Legion Memorial Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 566 reviews
Shaded, downtown park featuring concerts, an ice skating rink and bike tools, plus a train station with restrooms.
Boulder River Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 287 reviews
Scenic hike along the river to a waterfall nestled in an old-growth forest.
Terrace Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 237 reviews
Relaxed kid-friendly park featuring playgrounds, picnic sites and a terraced area for outdoor events.
Country Charm Conservation Area
4.2 ★★★★☆ 123 reviews
Nature preserve featuring a trail that leads to a beach on the river.
Armar Trailhead, Centennial Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 77 reviews
Wide, forested, paved trail that cyclists and walkers can use, along with runners, and equestrians.
Centennial Trailhead at Wade Road
4.6 ★★★★★ 74 reviews
Park offering gravel-lot parking, kid-friendly hikes, a picnic table, and trails for walking and biking.
Portage Creek Wildlife Reserve
4 ★★★★☆ 69 reviews
Hiking destination featuring open grasslands and trails through a wetland complex.
Centennial Trailhead At Bryant
4.4 ★★★★☆ 57 reviews
Zimmerman Hill Climb
4.5 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area with stairs and a creek.
Forest Trail Park
4 ★★★★☆ 53 reviews
PORTAGE CREEK TRAIL
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Arlington
- Match the surface to your legs. Arlington gives you a choice: 4 paved, 3 crushed gravel, and 2 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in Arlington is Boulder River Trail at 1 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Arlington is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 11 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Arlington. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Arlington trails by type
Running trails near Arlington
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.