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Running trails in Des Moines, WA
Des Moines has 6 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, and 1 with a stated distance. 5 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 3,995 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.
Saltwater State Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 3,515 reviews
This park on the shores of Puget Sound has campsites, volleyball courts & an artificial reef.
City of Des Moines Park Conservation Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 352 reviews
Scenic waterfront location featuring a marina, trails, a beach and a pier, plus picnic tables for a relaxed visit.
Des Moines Creek Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 70 reviews
Tranquil 2-mile-plus-long trail following a stream and passing through the woods on its way to the beach.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Des Moines
- Match the surface to your legs. Des Moines gives you a choice: 2 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? 2 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 Des Moines is Des Moines Creek Trail at 2 mi.
- 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. 5 of the 6 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. 3 have trailhead parking and 2 have restrooms in Des Moines. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 that runners describe as quiet, 1 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Des Moines trails by type
Running trails near Des Moines
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.