Best Runs Near Airports (and where to stay!)
Your flight got canceled or delayed. Or you hope to get a run in before getting on the flight. For travelers who end up having to stay near an airport, the running options can be hit or miss. But Great Runs has your back! We’ve researched the best places to run within proximity to the airport in major cities. In the table below, you’ll see the airport, best run nearby, and recommended areas to stay as close to the run as possible.
Best Major Cities/Airports For Running: (alphabetical, by region) Boston; Los Angeles (LAX); Minneapolis-St. Paul; Oakland; Philadelphia; San Diego; San Francisco (SFO); Washington, D.C. (Reagan); Amsterdam; Frankfurt; London (Heathrow); Milan; Osaka (Kansai); Singapore; Sydney.
Worst Major Cities/Airports For Running (alphabetical, by region): Atlanta (Hartsfield); Dallas (DFW); Houston (Bush); Las Vegas; New York (LaGuardia); Newark; Miami; Seattle; Athens; Beijing; Berlin (Brandenburg); Frankfurt; Moscow (Sheremetyevo- A.S. Pushkin); Paris (Charles de Gaulle); Istanbul; Tokyo (Narita). If stuck near the airport in these cities, the best option, unfortunately, is the hotel treadmill.
25 Best Runs Near an Airport (worldwide).
All routes worldwide tagged ‘Near Airport‘ by Great Runs.
Best running options for major city airports, worldwide, and where to stay nearby (table below).
| City/Airport | Run | Stay |
|---|---|---|
| Austin - Bergstrom | McKinney Falls State Park | East of I-35/South of SR 71 |
| Baltimore - BWI | BWI Trail | BWI Business District |
| Boston - Logan | Airport Waterfront Path & Greenway | Airport Hilton/Enbassy Suites; Hyatt Harborside |
| Chicago - O'Hare | DesPlaines River Trail | Hotels in Rosemont |
| Cleveland - Hopkins | Rocky River Reservation | Hotels in at the I-480/SR 252 interchange |
| Denver - DIA | Rocky Mountain Arsenal | Hotels off Pena Blvd. north of I-70 |
| Los Angeles - LAX | Near LAX: Ballona Creek/Playa Del ReyBallona Creek or Manhattan Beach | Marina del Rey or El Segundo |
| Mexico City | Bosque de Aragón | Cluster of hotels in Peñón de los Baños (a short cab ride away from the run) |
| Minneapolis−Saint Paul | Fort Snelling State Park | Hotels near the Mall of America |
| Montreal - Trudeau | Centennial Park & Bois-de-Liesse | Airport hotels are a short cab ride away |
| New York City: JFK | Baisley Pond Park - JFK Airport Loop | North of JFK Expressway/East of I-678 |
| Oakland | Alameda: Bay Farm Island | Off Harbor Pkwy. or Doolittle Dr. |
| Orlando | Lake Nona Area | Try to stay near Lake Nona Blvd. |
| Philadelphia | John Heinz Refuge | East of SR 291 |
| Phoenix - Sky Harbor | Tempe Town Lake | Nearby in downtown Tempe |
| Pittsburgh | Montour Trail | Marriott/376 Airport Expwy |
| Portland, OR | Running Options Near Airport: Marine Dr., Blue Lake | East of Airport, off I-295 provides good access to Marine Dr. |
| Raleigh-Durham | Umstead Park | Close to SR70/I-540. Still a short cab ride away. |
| San Antonio | McAllister Park | Off Hwy 281, north of Wurzbach Pkwy. |
| San Diego | Convention Center/Embarcadero | Hotels Near Convention Center or on Harbor Island |
| San Francisco - SFO | San Francisco Bay Trail | South of SFO, North of the 101 toward Coyote Point |
| Tampa | Upper Tampa Bay Trail/Courtney Campbell Causeway | Pelican Island, west of the airport |
| Calgary | Nose Creek Parkway | Worth a cab ride from the hotels off Highway 2/Airport Trail |
| Toronto - Pearson | Centennial Park, Etobicoke Creek Trail | Hotels right near Centennial Park off Eglinton Ave W. |
| Vancouver | Iona Regional Park | Hotels in Richmond (a few km from Iona Park) |
| Washington, D.C. - Reagan | Mount Vernon Trail & Other Trails in Arlington, VA. | Arlington, VA area hotels near trail |
| Amsterdam - Schiphol | Amsterdam Woods (Amsterdamse Bos) | East of airport off the N32 |
| Barcelona | Near Barcelona Airport: Gavà Mar Promenade | Lots of hotels of Gava Mar promenade |
| Frankfurt | Frankfurt City Forest (Frankfurter Stadtwald) | Take the (free) shuttle bus (1km) to the Hotel Steigenberg Airport, which is across the street from the Forest. |
| London - Heathrow | West of London & Near Heathrow | North of LHR in Hammondsworth |
| Madrid Airport | Juan Carlos I Park | Southwest of airport near Juan Carlos Park |
| Milan - Malpensa | Idroscalo | Hotels west of SP15b |
| Prague - Václav Havel | Near Václav Havel Airport: Sarka – Lysolaje Natural Park | East of Highway 7 near Lysolaje |
| Rome - Leonardo da Vinci | Ostia: Good Running Option Near Rome Airport | Hotels in Ostia |
| Osaka - Kansai | Rinku Park | Good selection near Rinku Park! |
| Paris- CDG | Parc de Sausett | Also near the major Villepinte convention center. Lots of hotels in the area |
| Singapore - Changi Airport | Near Airport: Jurassic Mile, Changi Beach Park, Pasir Ris Park | There are hotels near Changi Beach Park, Pasir Ris |
| Tokyo - Haneda | Near Haneda Airport & Tokyo Disneyland: Oi Wharf Seaside Park | No hotels right at Oi Wharf, but can stay in Shinagawa City |
| Sydney, Australia | Cooks River Trail | West of airport off Airport Dr. |
