9 Best Places to Run in the U.S.

In a way, running is the traveler’s trifecta: You can sightsee, feel like a local, and crank up your appetite to make more room for that pop-up restaurant (or mom-and-pop diner) on your itinerary. Here are nine running routes so scenic you'll be glad you skipped the treadmill.
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    Wildwood Trail, Portland, Oregon

    This rolling 30-mile soft-surface trail zigzags through Forest Park, the largest urban forest in the United States. Connect to it from the Lower Macleay Trailhead after about three-quarters of a mile. From there, take it another mile and a half up for views of Mt. Hood and the city from the grounds of Pittock Mansion, a chateau originally built in 1909. Along the way, you’ll run under fir and cedar trees, over streams, and past prehistoric-looking ferns and fungi.

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    Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake, Austin

    In the middle of downtown Austin, this mostly unpaved 10-mile trail wraps around a section of the Colorado River sandwiched between two dams (multiple bridges allow for loops as short as one mile). You’ll pass skyscrapers, ball fields, and parks while running under the shadow of ample tree cover that’s home to so many winged creatures, the Audubon Society has deemed the lake a birding hotspot.

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    Chicago Lakefront Trail

    Here you can run for up to 18 mostly flat miles with Chicago’s eastern edge on one side and Lake Michigan on the other. The iconic Buckingham Fountain marks the halfway point, but you’ll have plenty of picturesque opportunities to post #fromwhereirun snaps before that, as well as easy access to both water and restrooms. No GPS watch? No problem: There are markers every half mile.

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    Prospect Park Loop, Brooklyn

    The 3.35-mile running lane around the perimeter of Central Park’s Brooklyn cousin features prominently in the popular Brooklyn Half Marathon, and for good reason. Run in the morning and you’ll see off-leash dogs frolicking. In the afternoon, there are picnickers galore, and in the evening, you might hear Grammy winners playing in the band shell. No matter when you go, expect meadow and lake views, plus a steep hill that will make your calves sing.

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    Broken Hill Trail, San Diego

    The rare pine trees in the 2,000-acre Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve grow in only one other place, and it’s a remote island. There are also sandstone formations and wildflowers along the trail, but the biggest selling point is its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. From the parking lot, you’ll jog up a paved 0.8-mile road that rises 300 feet, at which point you can combine the Broken Hill, Razor Point, and Beach trails for a three-mile loop, or just do one loop of Broken Hill if you want something shorter.

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    Kalalau Trail, Kauai

    Runners with the chutzpah to tackle this 11-mile ascent along the famed Na Pali coastline will be richly rewarded with majestic cliff views. You’ll hit Hanakapi'ai Beach two miles in; cover two more miles to get to postcard-worthy Hanakapi'ai Falls. Multiple stream crossings, lots of mud, and rocky switchbacks will necessitate slowing down, so that’s probably as far as you’ll want to go.

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    Mesa Trail, Boulder, Colorado

    This classic seven-mile stretch deserves some of the credit for Boulder’s reputation as a mecca for world-class athletes. It connects a network of trails you can take to the top of 8,459-foot Bear Peak, through tall-grass prairies, and along rock formations. If you go in the summer, take a break and cool down by soaking your feet in South Boulder Creek.

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    Hidden Valley Trail, Moab, Utah

    A series of steep switchbacks puts you in prime position to take in Moab Valley and the large, rust-colored sandstone fins and Navajo domes of the otherworldly Behind the Rocks area. It’s about two miles to the pass, where you can veer to the right to see petroglyphs made by hunter-gatherers, or connect with the three-mile Moab Rim Trail, which continues down to the Colorado River.

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    Charles River Bike Path, Boston

    The leafy three-mile Charles River Esplanade connects the Museum of Science to the Boston University Bridge. Cross it or continue on this flat biking-and-running-route (officially known as the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path) to one of several other bridges to make a loop of more than 17 miles. Along the Cambridge side, you’ll run by the picturesque campuses of MIT and Harvard.