How to find the best running trails near you

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the hunt for new, fresh trails to run on, especially when I’m traveling to a new city.

But whether I’m staying close to home or exploring a new place, I’m always curious about a few things. 

Where do runners like to run?

What are their favorite spots?

How do I go about finding new trails? 

If you have these same questions, then this post is for you. I’ll share some of my favorite resources for finding new running trails, and I hope you’ll walk away with tools that will help you too.

Let’s dive in. 

Affiliate Disclosure: I’m here to help you grow as a rider and runner. So to keep things running smoothly and the content free, I participate in the Amazon Services program and select affiliate networks. So, when you click on those affiliate links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

HOW TO FIND THE BEST ROAD RUNNING TRAILS NEAR YOU

Google Maps

Google Maps is an obvious choice, I know.

But as a runner, I like to start here to get a feel of the city, how it’s planned out, and search for trails. 

Once I’ve searched for trails nearby, Google Maps will pop up with major trailheads that I can follow virtually to see where it goes and view pictures people have taken of the area. 

I don’t use Google Maps for running specific information (such as elevation). But, I do start here for a big picture view of where I’ll be running at. 

Strava

After I’ve looked at Google Maps, I like to turn to Strava for two things: to plan a running route and to look at the Strava Heat Map.

With Strava, you can create your own running route or have Strava give you route suggestions.

Strava’s route suggestions combine what you’re looking for in a route (distance, terrain, and hills) and what’s popular in the area.

What I like the most is Strava’s Heat Map, which lets me zoom into the most frequently used running paths by runners. (You’ll have to filter this by activity type, which is the shoe icon for runners.) 

If I’m looking for a track to do a track session, this heat map makes it easy to spot them—they’re ovals on the heat map. (But though we can see these school tracks, you’ll have to check with the schools to see if the tracks are open to the public.)

Garmin Connect

I also like to use the Garmin app, but this is only truly useful if you’ve got a Garmin watch. (I use the Garmin 645 because it has Garmin Pay, so it’s easy to do a quick coffee stop if I need to after a run.)

With this app, I can search for a route near me or have Garmin create a course.

Garmin’s create a course is easy to use because the app automatically plots a running route. But the downside is, I’ve found that it can chart a course on busy roads. Usually, I’ll double-check with Google street view if I’m unfamiliar with the area. 

If you like this Garmin option, follow these instructions to find out how to find and create a running route near you.

HOW TO FIND THE BEST TRAIL RUNNING TRAILS NEAR YOU

AllTrails

With AllTrails, it’s easy to find a running trail near me or around the world by difficulty, distance, and elevation. 

In the U.S., AllTrails has some of the same trail information as TrailLink. I use both because TrailLink tells me what kind of running surface it is —concrete, dirt, or crushed stone. 

But with AllTrails, I’ll find elevation information, so that may be helpful for you for those hill workouts (or not). 

If you’d like some hill run ideas, then grab this freebie below.

Trail Run Project

Though I can find plenty of running trail information from AllTrails and TrailLink, I enjoy scrolling through the Trail Run Project to explore hidden gems, inside tips, recommendations, and reviews from other trail runners.

Local Running Store

If there’s a local running store I’m passing by, I’ll stop to ask those working at the shop (who are most likely runners) where they like to run.

Whether I’m staying close to home or exploring a new place, I’m always curious about where fellow runners like to run. 

And the sites here—from Google Maps to the Trail Run Project—have helped me figure out just that, so I hope that these tools can help you too.  

Do you have a favorite way of finding new running trails? Share in the comments below!

Don’t forget! I’ve also got some free hill workouts you can grab here.