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Running trails in Renton, WA
Renton has 19 trails in the directory — 5 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 2 shaded, and 5 open 24 hours. 13 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 12,717 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.
Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 6,889 reviews
Public 57-acre lakeside park offering boat launches, a walking trail, tennis courts & picnic areas.
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,334 reviews
Vast protected park featuring forested areas, hiking trails, scenic vistas & wildlife.
Cedar River Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 721 reviews
Community park featuring multi-use athletic fields, an aquatic center & a 300-seat theater.
Cedar River Trail Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 656 reviews
4-acre off-leash dog park surrounded by a split-rail fence, with separate area for shy & small dogs.
Philip Arnold Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 365 reviews
Neighborhood park providing a playground, BBQ/picnic shelter, sports fields/courts & restrooms.
Thomas Teasdale Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 297 reviews
Community park with basketball courts, baseball diamonds, summer restrooms & a playground.
Harvey Manning Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 226 reviews
Hiking area featuring a handful of different loops plus views of Lake Washington and Mount Baker.
Black River Riparian Forest and Wetland
3.8 ★★★★☆ 270 reviews
Protected natural area that is home to 50+ species of birds, including the great blue heron.
Belmondo's Reach
4.6 ★★★★★ 187 reviews
Nature-preserve, trails and beach area along the Cedar River featuring picnic spots, swimming holes and salmon viewing.
Jim Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 191 reviews
Hike area with bridges, benches and parking for runners and hikers.
Maplewood Roadside Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 139 reviews
Recreational space with picnic areas offering trails for walking and biking, plus dog-friendly areas.
Honey Dew Creek Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 97 reviews
Easy trail featuring a creek with abundant vegetation, for families and dogs alike.
Cedar Grove Natural Area
4.5 ★★★★★ 81 reviews
Park featuring a river and a trail, popular on hot summer days.
Lake Youngs Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 74 reviews
Long trail for walking, running, biking and dog-walking.
Wilderness Peak
4.5 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
Nature-filled area for hiking and running trails, plus scenic points and streams.
Black River Riparian Forest Trailhead
3.9 ★★★★☆ 54 reviews
Renton Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 23 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Renton
- Match the surface to your legs. Renton gives you a choice: 5 paved, 3 mixed, 2 crushed gravel, and 1 natural surface. 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? 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 Renton is Lake Youngs Trailhead at 9.5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Renton are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 16 have trailhead parking, 11 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Renton. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 9 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Renton trails by type
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Natural surface 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 Renton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.