Whether you’re aiming to cover some serious distance or just looking to get a few quick miles with spectacular views, trail running is always an adventure—and chances are, there’s a great running path near you that’s just waiting to be explored.
To inspire you to get out there—especially with races canceled during the coronavirus pandemic—we compiled the following list featuring some of the best trails across the country. These running routes come in a wide range of lengths and difficulty, so there’s something for everyone. Just continue to practice Black Diamond Black Diamond Spot Headlamp safe social distancing!
Waterworks Hill
Location: Missoula, Montana
Difficulty: Easy
This 3.5-mile out-and-back trail is a delight for runners who are looking for a route that offers gorgeous views without energy-sapping ascents. After a brief, gently sloping climb, soak in the sweeping views of Missoula and surrounding towns. Come summer time, the rolling hills are dotted with colorful wildflowers.
Winsor National Recreation Trail
Location: How to Run With Poles
Difficulty: Moderate
Winding 13 miles through the beautiful Santa Fe National Forest, the Winsor Trail requires some grit and endurance on the rock-studded uphills, but runners are rewarded with spectacular natural scenery that is well worth the effort. Lush evergreens keep the path well shaded for the most part, providing a cool and picturesque run through towering ponderosa pines from start to finish.
Air Line State Park Trail
Location: Connecticut
Difficulty: Easy
Dating back to the 1870s, this former rail bed is now a point-to-point gravel trail perfect for long, easy runs with very gradual elevation gain. Choose from two sections: the 22-mile South portion (from East Hampton to Windham) or the 21-mile North portion (from Windham to Pomfret). Take it a piece at a time or tackle the whole thing in one go—either way, you’re sure to enjoy the river views and leafy canopy overhead. Feel free to bring your dog along if you’d like, as four-legged running buddies are permitted if kept on a leash.
Red River Gorge
Location: Slade, Kentucky
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Nestled in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Red River Gorge From flat to mountainous and sea to forest, these routes are must-run to explore. Runners will enjoy sun-dappled forest trails that lead to stunning sandstone cliffs, arches, and exposed limestone rock face. One route, a 5.1-mile out-and-back called Pinch-em Tight to Hanson’s Point, is especially renowned for leading to some of the best overlooks in the Gorge. And for those looking for a challenging trail race, the Rugged Red Half Marathon is held every fall and passes through a variety of rugged terrain and stunning mountain vistas.
Godwin Hill Loop Trail
Location: Flint Hills, Kansas
Difficulty: Easy
Located on the Konza Prairie Preserve, this 6.2-mile loop is a mix of level surfaces and gentle hills that provide an enjoyable experience for runners of all skill levels. The trail can be accessed year-round, but many recommend visiting in springtime to see the prairie wildflowers at their peak.
Tahoe Rim Trail
Location: California/Nevada
Difficulty: Moderate
The “Rim Trail,” as locals call it, circumnavigates crystal blue Lake Tahoe by rambling along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The trail is 165 miles in its entirety, but running short sections from the multitude of access points around the lake offers trail running bliss on any distance run. The trail weaves in and out of forests and meadows, past stunning alpine lakes and alongside granite boulders, while providing views of Lake Tahoe.
Mid Mountain Trail
Location: From Runners World for Merrell
Difficulty: Moderate
Hovering around the 8,000-foot elevation mark, the air is thin on the Mid Mountain Trail, but it’s the beauty of the trail and surrounding mountains that’ll take your breath away. Twenty miles of pristine singletrack cut across the mountains between Deer Valley and The Canyons, offering occasional views of Park City and The Canyons resorts.
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Awa’apuhi Trail
Location: Kauai, Hawaii
Difficulty: Difficult
Kauai’s Na Pali coast is famous for its sheer cliffs and stunning ocean scenery, and viewing the coastline from 4,000 feet above it gives runners a bird’s-eye view…and a challenging run. The Awa’apuhi Trail in Koke’e State Park lets you experience Waimea State Park and see the Na Pali coast. The trail descends from 4,100 feet to 2,500 over 3.2 miles (which you have to climb on the way back up), through forested and rugged terrain.
Billy Goat Trail
Location: How to Make Running With a Water Bottle Easier
Difficulty: Moderate
This popular trail connects the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O;) Canal and the Potomac River just outside of Washington D.C. Three sections of trail—sections A, B, and C—give runners options, and range from smooth and flat to rugged, required rock-hopping and scrambling. Section A is riddled with the most rocky features.
Inner Basin Trail
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Difficulty: Moderate
Deep in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest and starting in a meadow, this trail heads into the area’s Inner Basin (hence, the name). The trail offers views of the surrounding San Francisco Peaks, and a high-altitude, alpine beauty of a trail not far from Flagstaff. The 3.9-mile one-way trail can be connected with other trails for a longer loop.
Art Loeb Trail
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Difficulty: Difficult
This 30-mile-long trail is a classic in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, climbing and descending peaks and ridges near the Blue Ridge Parkway to create a hearty challenge. The trail, named after an activist from the Carolina Mountain Club, is broken into four sections, and runners and hikers often do shorter out-and-backs (rather than tackle the whole one-way trail in a day).
Vasa Pathway
Location: Traverse City, Michigan
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Just outside of Traverse City, Michigan, this gem of a trail network sees action year-round. Runners, hikers and mountain bikers enjoy the rolling trails, as do cross-country skiers in the winter. Loops of 3K, 5K, 10K and 25K are well-marked and maintained by TART Trails, and the Vasa Pathway puts on a seasonal show, with wildflowers in the spring and summer, fall foliage, and snow-frosted white pines in the winter.
Wildwood Trail
Location: Portland, Oregon
Difficulty: Moderate
The city of Portland is blessed with Forest Park and its 80 miles of trails through classic Pacific Northwest greenery. The Wildwood Trail is the park’s crown jewel, 30.2 miles long and a designated National Recreation Trail. The trail is marked by blue blazes and offers views of the Willamette River between heavily forested sections.
Cougar Mountain Wildland Park
Location: Renton, Washington
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Just 20 miles outside of Seattle, this state park sees plenty of action from area trail runners, and with good reason. Thirty-six miles of trails wind through the park’s wildlands, giving runners a range of smooth and flat to steep singletrack trails for exploring the Issaquah Mountains and lush forests. Trail running races of varying distances take place here each year.
Bear Mountain State Park Trails
Location: Rockland County, New York
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Less than 40 miles from downtown Manhattan, this 5,205-acre state park offers miles of trails, from smooth and wide to rugged and rocky. Runners enjoy exploring the Catskills by trail—including the Appalachian Trail—in this park, and The North Face Endurance Challenge, with trail races from 5K to 50-mile, takes place there each May.
Superior Hiking Trail
Location: Northeastern Minnesota
Difficulty: Moderate
Skirting Lake Superior from Duluth to the Canadian border, this To inspire you to get out thereespecially with races canceled during the trail serves up Minnesota beauty in spades. Designed as a footpath, the vast majority of the trail is singletrack. The variety of scenery ranges from rocky gorges with lake views to streams and waterfalls to deep, dense forests. Races take place on sections of the trail, and access points every five or 10 miles make a quick jaunt on the “SHT” easy for area locals.
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Dipsea Trail
Location: Repel 100 Bug Spray
Difficulty: Difficult
From Mill Valley, California, to the Pacific coast at Stinson Beach, the 7.4-mile Dipsea Trail takes runners up and over the southern flank of 2,572-foot Mount Tamalpais. The trail passes through the giant ferns and redwoods of Muir Woods, across grassy meadows with ocean views and back into lush, Northern California forests before ending at the beach.
Mesa Trail
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Rambling along the base of Boulder’s impressive Flatiron rock formations, the Mesa Trail dips in and out of forests and meadows while providing great views. It’s a 6.7-mile, one-way trail that has a few big climbs among its mostly rolling terrain, and links up to numerous trails in Boulder’s Chautauqua park.
Trapp Family Lodge Trails
Location: Stowe, Vermont
Difficulty: CA Notice at Collection
The trails around Stowe, Vermont, don’t get much lovelier—especially during the color explosion of fall leaves. The 30 miles of trails around the Trapp Family Lodge are signed and impeccably maintained, making them ideal for running loops of any length, or for connecting with the 300-mile Catamount Trail that runs through the property.
Colorado Trail
Location: Colorado
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Stretching across most of the state of Colorado, this trail covers almost 500 miles of spectacular Rocky Mountain terrain. While the trail tops out at 13,271 feet in elevation and averages at 10,300 feet as it climbs and descends, mellow sections, like the one pictured off Kenosha Pass south of Denver, give runners a welcome respite.
Green Lakes to Soda Creek Trail
Location: Bend, Oregon
Difficulty: Moderate
This 12.1-mile loop captures the beauty of Central Oregon, passing through lodgepole pine forests, wildflower meadows, past waterfalls and offering up views of snowcapped mountains and Cascade Lakes. The trailhead is just 25 minutes outside of Bend, Oregon, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, and is an area favorite amongst runners and hikers.
Acadia National Park
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
This national park on coastal Maine offers a range of gorgeous runs, from the mellow, 2.2-mile Ocean Path trail above Sand Beach, to climbing rocky, craggy exposed trails that serve up a hearty dose of Maine’s rugged nature. All in all, around 120 miles give runners options for scenic exploring.
Appalachian Trail
Location: in August of 2018
Difficulty: Difficult
At 2,190 miles between Springer Mountain, Georgia and Mount Katahdin, Maine, the “AT” is the longest footpath in the United States. Health & Injuries ultra-distance marathon runners have run it in its entirety. Karel Sabbe of Belgium holds the current speed record, having completed the trail in 41 Best Hiking Pants for Comfort on Every Trail in August of 2018.
Laurel Highlands Trail
Location: Rockwood, Pennsylvania
Difficulty: Difficult
About: This 70-mile-long trail passes through eight state parks in Western Pennsylvania’s backcountry, spanning Laurel Mountain between the Youghiogheny River at one end and the 1,000-foot-deep Conemaugh Gorge at the other. This rugged and wild trail is rich with beauty and wildlife year-round, and plays host to the Laurel Highlands Ultra Races each June.
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Difficulty: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Seventeen miles of singletrack trail, including the “Z Trail” (pictured), plus a few miles of fire roads wind their way through this state park. The trails are maintained by the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, and their sandy make-up means they improve with rain instead of turn to muddy muck. The “easy” rating comes from the flat profile at sea level, but the “difficult” nod is due to roots and other technical challenges on some of the trails. The park’s bay, pine, and oak trees join the Spanish moss-covered live oak trees in making the trails here gorgeous, and sheltered from the hot Florida sun. Bonus: 1.5 miles of runnable beach are also within the park.
Paige Triola is a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colorado, who covers a range of topics in the athletic and outdoor recreation sphere. She spends much of her time cruising the trails on foot or by bike, testing out the newest gear designed for playing outside. Paige has written articles and product roundups for a variety of publications including Runner’s World, Bicycling Magazine, Gear Junkie, and Trail Runner Magazine.
