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Picking the Right Trails To Run

Fraser Darcy /

Generally, running is a pretty simple form of exercise. Head out the door, run around, breathe a bit, sweat a bit, come back through the door – exercise done. Tick. Move on to the next activity.

If you run in the city or the suburbs, you may have to contend with traffic, a few dogs, and lots of bitumen – and it can be hard to build a routine to maintain exercise habits with these obstacles in the way. That’s your end goal, right? To fit a little exercise into your week to keep your body functioning?

So – how can you make running a more enjoyable proposition? How can you create an environment for yourself where you want to go for a run, instead of feeling like you have to go for a run?

For me, the answer was to attempt trail running more often. Sounds nice in theory, I guess: go to a park and run around on dirt, grass, or sand. No traffic, no worries… right?

Well, not in all cases. Just as cafes and bakeries don’t always uphold the same standard of products, not all trails are the same either.

An athlete is running on a finely gravelled track, surrounded by shrubbery. He is wearing mid-thigh, next-to-skin shorts underneath a shorter pair of black running shorts, with black socks, black running shoes, a white singlet, and a beige cap. Over his singlet he wears a hydration vest, and on his front is a four-digit number indicating that he is running in a race. He has white earphones in his ear, the cord running underneath his singlet.

For me, the answer to creating a more enjoyable running environment was to trail-run more often.

So, how do you know what a good running trail is? Is it trial and error? Is there something like an Airbnb for trails, where you can read reviews? Over time, you’ll be able to answer those questions yourself – but you’re living in the now baby, so keep reading and I’ll share my top tips for picking the right trails to run!

Location, Location, Location!

There are a million trails out there, some located closer than others. For mid-week runs, find one close enough to drive to within a 30-minute window. Yes, you may have to drive to get there – but it’s worth it. Once you consider that most other sports and hobbies involve driving, you’ll start to feel less weird about doing the same to go running.

Getting there in 30 minutes or less means:

  • It’s not so far away that you lose motivation to get out the door
  • For longer runs, it’s the equivalent of an appropriate distance to run there and back
  • There’s time to switch your brain from work or home-life mode to running mode, then back again on the way home (to plan a post-run meal!)

For weekend trail running, driving one to two hours is doable and obviously widens your choice of trails. Anything past that length of time, and I’d suggest an overnight stay at the destination trail.

An athlete is shot mid-stride on a bitumen road, with grape vines in the background and grey clouds overhead. He wears a brown collared shirt, black running shorts, black socks, and bright, fluorescent green running shoes.

There are a million trails out there, some located closer than others.

Course Layout

So – you’ve found your little area for your mid-week trail runs, or maybe you’ve hunted down a destination trail for a weekend trip. Planning your own course layout is simple enough, provided you avoid the following:

  • Any loops or trails that are less than one to two kilometres in length. As well as being too short to build up a rhythm, these will be occupied by walkers, families, and/or slow-moving traffic that will get in your way.
A runner is sitting with his legs in a butterfly position on a mat in the middle of a dirt carpark, stretching. He wears a bright orange shirt, beige cap, black running shorts, and black footwear. The carpark is surrounded by shrubbery, with a cement tank sitting further beyond, hidden by trees. Parked beside the runner is a Triton Ute.

Stretching in a carpark is perfectly normal, post-run!

  • Mountain bike trails. These are for mountain bikers, so stay away. They also have lots of turns and rollers which, again, will disrupt your rhythm.
A runner wearing a dark green singlet, black shorts, and bright red running shoes hurdles over a fallen branch across the forresty running trail. His arms are outstretched, and he is captured mid-leap.

Watch out for obstacles on the trails!

  • A track with too many junctions or intersections, and therefore turns. This is a recipe for trouble. For example: a course with ten different changes of direction means you might have to stop ten times, pull out a map, and remember which way to go before getting back to running. The worst-case scenario is when you start to relax among the peaceful bush environment, forget to make a turn… and suddenly have no idea where you are. Try and pick a course with no more than five turns – and if you have trouble remembering them, simply write L or R (indicating Left or Right) on each finger of one hand, and refer to your fingers for directions at each turn.
A runner is pondering a sheltered display of a map and information on the park that surrounds him. Ahead of him are clusters of trees and shrubbery. He wears an orange t-shirt, brown cap, and black running shorts.

Try and pick a course with no more than five turns.

A runner is standing and surveying a display map mid-route. He wears a bright, orange t-shirt with a beige cap, and is scratching his head to indicate confusion. He is surrounded by rubbly brown dirt and shrubs.

The worst-case scenario is when you start to relax, forget to make a turn… and suddenly have no idea where you are!

  • A course with an imbalance of hills. Too many aren’t fun, but too little is boring. Like Goldilocks, you want a number that’s just right. I suggest planning your course on a map or GPS app that provides the elevation profile. Over ten kilometres of running, any course with 100-300 metres worth of elevation change is a good aim.
A map on the left shaded in green indicates a runner’s route, marked with a blue line. The route is a loop. A graph on the right indicates a runner’s elevation profile over 61.47 kilometres.

I suggest planning your course on a map or GPS app that provides the elevation profile.

Route Services

Driving to Melbourne is easy, given all the servos, stopovers, and quaint little towns along the way. Driving across the Nullarbor is harder, because there’s less of that.

The same concept applies to selecting a good trail-running course. Keep an eye out for toilets, potential road access points (which are good for emergency pick-ups or stashing water), and whether there is phone reception available. Trail running involves a little bit more risk than road-running, so ensuring you have knowledge of the surrounding areas will help if something goes wrong.

The worst that has happened to me has been almost pooping my pants (several times), getting injured, and running out of water. In all cases, I solved my problems by using a toilet I knew was nearby, limping to the nearest road/exit point, or pushing it to the next rainwater tank. These solutions were possible because I chose my routes wisely.

A runner is crouched by a silver, corrugated iron water tank, filling up a water bladder. He wears a long-sleeved red shirt, beige bucket hat with sunnies sitting on top, navy blue knee-length shorts, and black runners. He is smiling without teeth up at the camera.

One of the worst outcomes for me was running out of water, but I pushed it to the next rainwater tank!

Are you a ‘Sandy Sally’ or a ‘Rocky Rupert’?

Not every surface – be it sand, fire trail, single track, gravel, part-dirt, dirt-gravel, rock, grass, or mud – is appealing to all runners. I love fire trails because I don’t need to concentrate too much… and I don’t sink like I do on sand. I also enjoy single-track when heading downhill, because I flow down the mountain as though I’m on skis!

A runner is captured mid-stride on a narrow, dirt trail, surrounded by trees and shrub. He is wearing a long-sleeved, collared brown shirt, black next-to-skin bike shorts, looser running shorts over the top, and black running shoes. There are dark clouds overhead.

I enjoy single-track when heading downhill, because I flow down the mountain as though I’m on skis!

An athlete is running on a narrow vehicle trail through a vast, open country space, surrounded by grasses and shrubbery. Mountains are faded blue in the background. He is wearing mid-thigh, next-to-skin shorts underneath a shorter pair of black running shorts, with black socks, black running shoes, a bright orange t-shirt, and a beige cap. Over his shirt he wears a hydration vest, and on his front is a four-digit number indicating that he is running in a race.

Not every surface is appealing to all runners.

Experiment with different surfaces early in your trail running career to establish what you prefer. A word of caution with trails: the more ‘out-there’ or obscure they are, the poorer condition they’re likely to be in – which will usually impact on your ability to run with a good rhythm. For example, a fire track in a park nearby an urban centre is likely to be well-groomed and fine for running. On the other hand, a single track somewhere four hours away from the nearest capital city may not be as primed… possibly with more bushes and rocks to run on than dirt.

An athlete is running on a narrow, finely gravelled track. He is captured mid-stride wearing a bright orange t-shirt, beige cap, black shorts, and black running shoes. He is surrounded by rubble, red-brown dirt, grasses and shrubs.

The more ‘out-there’ or obscure a trail is, the poorer condition it’s likely to be in.

After ten years of trail running, I now feel as though I’ve got the process of selecting the right trails down pat. I’m not saying it’ll take ten years – but I’m not saying these tips will get you there straight away, either. With this advice, one ‘pinch of salt’ to take that may ‘enhance the flavour’ of trail running a little more is that each time you pick a trail, take it slow and first focus on enjoying the run. That was always the aim of trail running in the first place – so don’t forget that it’s what brought you there!

An athlete is running on a narrow trail, surrounded by grasses and shrubbery. He is wearing mid-thigh, next-to-skin shorts underneath a shorter pair of black running shorts, with black socks, black running shoes, a white singlet, and a beige cap. Over his singlet he wears a hydration vest, and on his front is a four-digit number indicating that he is running in a race. He has white earphones in his ear, the cord running underneath his singlet

After ten years of trail running, I now feel as though I’ve got the process of selecting the right trails down pat!

Thinking of taking up trail running?

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