Running trails in Stoughton, WI
Stoughton has 7 trails in the directory — 1 boardwalk, 1 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 6 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 561 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.
Viking County Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 333 reviews
Large park with multiple dog beaches and off-leash areas, plus a disc-golf course.
Yahara River Trail Walking Bridge
4.6 ★★★★★ 74 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking spot with scenic views, an osprey viewing area, and fishing.
Bjoin Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 72 reviews
Grassy, tree-lined park with a playground and baseball diamond, plus hiking trails.
Lowell Street Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 35 reviews
Park featuring a playground with a zip line, basketball facilities, and a community garden.
Schefelker Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 30 reviews
Yahara River Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Stoughton
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is boardwalk (1 of 7). 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 boardwalk 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Stoughton are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 6 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 1 has trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Stoughton. 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 and 3 dog-friendly. 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 Stoughton trails by type
Running trails near Stoughton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.