Ann Arbor is stupidly good for running. Between the Huron River corridor, a network of nature areas with real elevation, and enough paved multi-use paths to string together a half marathon without repeating a block, this town earns its reputation as a runner’s city. Here are the routes worth lacing up for.
Nichols Arboretum Loop
The Arb is the run that converts people. A 2.7-mile loop of groomed dirt paths winds through 123 acres of hills, ravines, and old-growth hardwoods right at the edge of campus. You’ll climb about 200 feet of elevation over the full loop – not brutal, but enough to feel it on the back half.
Enter from the Geddes Avenue gate near the Huron River or the Washington Heights entrance off Observatory Street. The peony garden section is flat and fast. The river bluff section is where the route earns its keep – single-track switchbacks through beech and oak canopy with views down to the Huron.
Spring is the best season here. Trillium covers the hillsides in April, and the peony garden peaks in June. Winter is runnable too, but pack trail shoes – the clay gets slick after snow.
Street parking on Geddes or Washington Heights. No lot, no fee.
University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum
Gallup Park River Path
If you want flat and fast, Gallup is the answer. The main paved loop circles Geddes Pond for about 1.7 miles, smooth asphalt the whole way. Strollers, cyclists, and dog walkers share the path, but it’s wide enough that you’re rarely dodging anyone at running pace.
The real move is to extend west. From Gallup, the paved path continues 1.5 miles along the river to Fuller Park and connects to the Arb – that’s a 5-mile out-and-back without touching a road. Or go east toward Dixboro for a longer session on the B2B Trail.
Gallup has a big parking lot off Geddes Road (free), restrooms, and water fountains. This is the route for tempo days, long runs, and shakeout runs before the Ann Arbor Marathon.
Bird Hills Nature Area
This is where Ann Arbor runners go to suffer a little. Bird Hills is 146 acres of rolling, wooded terrain on the northwest side, with about 2.5 miles of trail if you stick to the outer loop. Connect to Barton Nature Area via Bird Road and you can stretch it to 5.5 miles of uninterrupted dirt.
The hills here are the real deal – short, punchy climbs through beech-maple forest with enough root-and-rock technical sections to keep you honest. The Newport Road trailhead has a small parking lot and is the easiest entry point. The Bird Road and Beechwood Drive trailheads work too but have minimal street parking.
Excellent hill repeat territory. Pick the climb between the Newport Road entrance and the ridge, run it four times, and call it a workout.
Border-to-Border Trail (B2B)
The B2B is the long run. This paved, 10-foot-wide, ADA-accessible trail stretches over 40 miles across Washtenaw County – from Ypsilanti through Ann Arbor to Dexter and beyond. You can enter from dozens of trailheads and run as far as your legs will take you.
The most popular Ann Arbor segment follows the Huron River from Gallup Park west through Bandemer Park, then continues toward Barton Dam and eventually Dexter. It’s flat, shaded, and scenic the entire way. The Ann Arbor-to-Dexter corridor alone is a clean 10-mile out-and-back.
For marathon training, this trail is unbeatable. Long stretches without road crossings, consistent pavement, and enough visual variety – river views, wetlands, bridges – that 16 miles doesn’t feel like a treadmill.
Argo-Bandemer River Loop
Start at Bandemer Park off Main Street, head north along the Huron River on the paved path, loop through Argo Nature Area, and come back along Longshore Drive. The full loop is roughly 3 miles with a mix of paved path and sidewalk.
The Argo section is the highlight – you’ll pass the canoe livery, the Argo Cascades, and cross a footbridge with a direct view of the dam. The Bandemer side is wide and flat, popular with after-work runners from the North Main corridor.
Parking at Bandemer is free and usually has space. The loop connects to the B2B Trail in both directions, so you can extend north toward Barton Dam or south toward downtown.
Bandemer Nature Area | Argo Nature Area
County Farm Park Fitness Trail
County Farm Park is the runner’s utility knife. The 1.4-mile Fitness Trail loops the perimeter with 18 exercise stations built in – pull-up bars, balance beams, step-ups. Add the 1.1-mile Outer Loop and the 0.6-mile Inner Loop, and you can piece together nearly 4.5 miles of crushed-stone trail without leaving the park.
The surface is forgiving – packed crushed limestone that drains well and stays runnable through three seasons. The Britton Woods section is shaded and slightly rolling. The main loop is pancake-flat.
This is the best park in Ann Arbor for a run-plus-strength session. Hit the stations on your first lap, then strip it down to pure running for laps two and three. Free parking off Washtenaw Avenue, south of Platt Road.
Barton Nature Area
Barton is 98 acres of multi-use trails along the Huron River, a few miles north of downtown on Huron River Drive. The trail network is a mix of single-track and wider paths – great for trail runners who want something between Bird Hills intensity and Gallup Park ease.
The trails connect directly to Bird Hills via Bird Road, giving you access to a combined 5+ mile loop entirely on dirt. The river views along the eastern edge are worth the trip on their own. Expect moderate hills, decent footing, and far fewer people than the paved paths.
Saginaw Forest
This one’s a local secret that most runners never find. The University of Michigan’s Saginaw Forest is 80 acres of old pine plantations and hardwoods with 3+ miles of trail and Third Sister Lake tucked in the middle. The terrain is gentle – rolling hills, soft pine-needle surface – and dead quiet on weekday mornings.
Access from the trailhead off Liberty Road, west of the stadium. The parking area is small and easy to miss. No facilities, no signage to speak of. Just forest and trail.
Perfect for recovery runs or meditative solo sessions where you don’t want to see another person.
The Campus Loop
No list of Ann Arbor running routes is complete without the campus run. Start at the Diag, head south on State Street, cut west on Hoover toward the Big House, then north on Main Street and back east through the Law Quad. That’s roughly 3.5 miles of sidewalk running through the densest part of town.
It’s not a nature run. It’s an urban run with landmark views – Michigan Stadium, the Burton Tower, Hill Auditorium, the Michigan Union. Best early morning or late evening when foot traffic drops.
Pair it with the Arb for a 6-mile loop that hits both campus and riverside trail.
Gear and Group Runs
Ann Arbor Running Company on Liberty Street is the local hub. They host weekly group runs, stock trail and road shoes, and know every route in this list better than anyone. Stop in before committing to a new trail shoe.
Close
Ann Arbor gives you river paths, technical dirt, punchy hills, and enough paved trail to train for anything from a 5K to an ultra. For more outdoor options, check out biking trails and parks across the Ann Arbor area on miannarbor.com.
