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Running trails in Mount Vernon, WA
Mount Vernon has 16 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 1 open 24 hours. 7 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 3,238 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.
Little Mountain Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 621 reviews
Forested area with 10 mi. of hiking & biking trails & valley views from 2 observation platforms.
Padilla Bay Shore Trailhead - South
4.7 ★★★★★ 186 reviews
Popular, laid-back trail for walking, running and biking with benches along the way, along with mountain views plus waterfowl.
Port of Skagit Nature Trails
4.6 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Easy, flat trails, some with gravel, for hiking, biking, running and dog walking, near an airport.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Mount Vernon
- Match the surface to your legs. Mount Vernon gives you a choice: 3 crushed gravel, 2 paved, 2 natural surface, 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 crushed gravel 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 Mount Vernon is Little Mountain Park at 10 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Mount Vernon is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 7 of the 16 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. 10 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Mount Vernon. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 10 dog-friendly and 8 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 Mount Vernon trails by type
- Crushed gravel trails
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Mount Vernon
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.