Running trails in Cody, WY
Cody has 10 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, and 3 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 2,359 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.
Old Trail Town
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,793 reviews
A collection of ghost-town relics recreate the frontier west in Buffalo Bill's original Cody Town.
Cedar Mountain Trail Rides
4.6 ★★★★★ 258 reviews
Scenic trail rides for all experience levels, led by friendly guides.
Paul Stock Nature Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 98 reviews
Hiking area featuring varying difficulty levels, wildlife viewing, and river views.
Dacken Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 72 reviews
Park with a playground, picnic areas, and BBQs, plus swings and slides.
Beck Lake Bike Park Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 36 reviews
Relaxed recreational area with pump tracks, jump lines, skills areas and trails.
Outlaw Trails Recreation Area
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Shoshone River Trail - Stair Acess
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Cody
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (1 of 10). 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? 1 trail here is a loop, 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Cody are 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 10 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 Cody. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 that runners describe as quiet and 2 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.