If you love the half marathon distance but crave a wilder challenge, trail races are where it’s at. Trading pavement for dirt, roots, rocks, and elevation gain turns your familiar 13.1 miles into a whole new adventure.
Trail half marathons demand more focus, strength, and patience — but they also reward you with killer views, a quieter kind of competition, and a deep sense of accomplishment. For road runners, switching off the pavement really gives your brain and body a new challenge in a sport you already love. And if you’re a trail runner looking to set a PR or simply feel the joy of crossing that finish line, an official trail half marathon is a great challenge to put on the books. (If you want an even bigger challenge, check out our list of the best trail races across all distances.)
So grab your hydration vest and collapsible poles: Whether you’re a road runner looking to mix things up or already hooked on singletrack, these 25 trail half marathons are worth adding to your race calendar.
Calendar: The Best Trail Half Marathons
- Grasslands Trail Run Half Marathon on March 21, 2026
- Oakland Redwoods Half Marathon in March 2026
- Tuck Fest Trail Half Marathon in April 2026
- Rodeo Beach Rumble Half Marathon in April 2026
- Ice Age Trail Run Half Marathon in April 2026
- Towpath Half Marathon in April 2026
- Salt Lake Foothills Trail Race on May 31, 2025
- Potomac River Run Half Marathon in May 2026
- Gorges Ithaca Half Marathon on June 8, 2025
- Olympic Valley Half Marathon on June 14, 2025
- Yellowstone Half Marathon on June 14, 2025
- Burton Creek Trail Run Half Marathon on June 22, 2025
- Wilson Creek Half Marathon on July 15, 2025
- Truckee Half Marathon on August 2, 2025
- Surly Trail Loppet Half Marathon on September 21, 2025
- Hungerford Games Trail Half Marathon on September 27, 2025
- Golden Leaf Half Marathon on September 27, 2025
- West Virginia Trilogy Half Marathon on October 10, 2025
- Heart of Cool Trail Run Half Marathon on October 19, 2025
- Great Turtle Trail Run Half Marathon on October 25, 2025
- Happy Girls Sisters Run Half Marathon on October 25, 2025
- Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon on November 1, 2025
- Rockledge Rumble Trail Half Marathon on November 8, 2025
- The Florida Run @ Lake Louisa on November 8, 2025
- Helen Holiday Trail Half Marathon on December 13, 2025
Salt Lake Foothills Trail Race
- Where: Salt Lake City, UT
- When: May 31, 2025
Score the fun of a trail race near the convenience of a city with this 13.1 mile point-to-point course. Buckle up, because you’ll be climbing 2,800 feet – but the sweeping views of the Wasatch and SLC are well worth the huffing and puffing.
The Florida Run
- Where: Clermont, FL
- When: November 8, 2025
The Florida Run puts on three trail half marathons across Florida: Lake Louisa State Park, Manatee Springs State Park, and Colt Creek Park. The Lake Louisa run, held in November, takes you through the rolling hills and lakeside-views of this protected area. This race is great for beginners and families – including pets!
Grasslands Trail Run Half Marathon
- Where: Decatur, TX
- When: March 21, 2026
You’ll need to be ready for tough terrain here at the 20,000-acre Caddo and Lyndon Johnson National Grasslands in the Texas backcountry – ready to run across streams, through muddy bogs, as well as sand and underbrush.
Golden Leaf Half Marathon
- Where: Aspen, CO
- When: September 27, 2025
If you want fall scenery, what better place than a town named for the trees famous for turning golden and fire red come September? The Golden Leaf Half in Aspen, Colorado starts more than 8,000 feet up in the Rockies. A point-to-point course that starts in Snowmass Village and finishes in Aspen town, this grueling race is not for the untrained. But the pay off in views is more than worth it. This is one of our favorite fall half marathons.
Tuck Fest Trail Half Marathon
- Where: Charlotte, NC
- When: April 2026
The challenging hills and trails that wind through the forest surrounding North Carolina’s U.S. National Whitewater Center are the setting for this event, a series of running, kayaking, whitewater and obstacle races for runners, hikers and families. It sounds intense, but this race weekend is all about fun: There are nine different running events, including night trail races and a dog jog!
Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon
- Where: Los Angeles, CA
- When: November 1, 2025
Run the challenging hills and trails of a piece of Hollywood history at this race, which takes runners through a park in the middle of one of the nation’s largest urban areas, which has played a role in countless movies and television shows, from the 1955 James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause to shows like 24.
Rodeo Beach Rumble Half Marathon
- Where: Sausalito, CA
- When: April 2026
Talk about a half marathon with a view: Run among the hills, trails, military landmarks and dramatic coastal shorelines of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at this race, where you can enjoy a day at the beach after you cross the finish line at Rodeo Cove.
Ice Age Trail Run Half Marathon
- Where: La Grange, WI
- When: May 9, 2026
Named one of America’s most scenic races years ago by Trail Runner magazine, this race takes runners on a tromping, hilly run through Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest, along a combination of soft, grassy trails as well as twisting, hilly runs through the woods.
Great Turtle Trail Run Half Marathon
- Where: Mackinac Island, MI
- When: October 25, 2025
This out-and-back trail run unfolds around nearly the entire four square miles of the island, the race is unique both for its scenery as well as its isolated location — a true 13.1 miles just with nature… and a few hundred sweaty, panting runners.
Hungerford Games Trail Half Marathon
- Where: Big Rapids, MI
- When: September 27, 2025
Run through the nearly million-acre Huron Manistee National Forest in MI’s Lower Peninsula at this fall race, a unique event with finishers’ medals cut from local wood found nearby, a race that organizers say is a “celebration of the woods.”
Olympic Valley Half Marathon
- Where: Olympic Valley, CA
- When: June 14, 2025
Just over 300 runners finished both races combined last year at this race, which runs the roads and trails of California’s famed Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the home of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. Bonus: The majority of this race is on paved trail, so great for a road runner looking for a race with a view.
Happy Girls Sisters Run Half Marathon
- Where: Sisters, OR
- When: October 25, 2025
Run along the Peterson Ridge Trail, a more than 20-mile-long network of mountain biking and hiking trails built on old forest service roads and single-track trails that, depending on the season, can be dusty and loose or packed with snow.
Yellowstone Half Marathon
- Where: West Yellowstone, MT
- When: June 14, 2025
Temperatures will be chilly and the scenery will be stunning at this race just outside the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, a place filled with geysers, geothermal pools, canyons, mountains and forests. National Park half marathons are such a cool way to explore the land without one zillion tourists clogging your path – especially at Yellowstone.
Burton Creek Trail Run Half Marathon
- Where: Tahoe City, CA
- When: June 22, 2025
A beautiful 13.1 miles in the heart of Lake Tahoe, the Burton Creek Trail Race takes place during one of the largest annual running events of the summer: Adventure Sports Week Tahoe. This trail run winds through the thick forest of Barton Creek Park along singletrack and fire roads, delivering hill after hill. Get ready to sweat.
Wilson Creek Half Marathon
- Where: Jonas Ridge, NC
- When: July 15, 2025
Formerly The Scream Half Marathon, this is among the most beautiful spots anywhere in the western North Carolina mountains to run. This downhill race takes place inside the Pisgah National Forest, whose more than 500,000 acres lie just east of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Oakland Redwoods Half Marathon
- Where: Oakland, CA
- When: March 2026
Nestled among the hills east of downtown Oakland and home to one of the Bay Area’s largest natural stands of coast redwood trees, this race makes its debut this summer with a loop around Redwoods Regional Park. Bonus: This is a dog-friendly half marathon.
Gorges Ithaca Half Marathon
- Where: Ithaca, NY
- When: June 8, 2025
A land filled with forests, rail trails, lakeside stretches and plentiful waterfalls — that’s what awaits runners here at this race, which organizers describe as “one of the fastest and most scenic half marathons you’ll ever run. Period.” This race runs over packed trails, old bridges, and more.
Truckee Half Marathon
- Where: Truckee, CA
- When: August 2, 2025
Challenging climbs along scenic mountain trails as well as long stretches along lakeside roads just north of Lake Tahoe await runners at this race, which saw just over 200 runners cross the finish line last year.
Heart of Cool Trail Run Half Marathon
- Where: Cool, CA
- When: October 19, 2025
The coolest race around, this trail half runs through the aptly-named small town nestled in the foothills of the Sierras of Northern California, with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and canyons. River-carved canyons, historic trails, and a four and a half hour time cap – sounds like a good time.
Surly Trail Loppet Half Marathon
- Where: Minneapolis, MN
- When: September 21, 2025
Most of this race, which features both a 13.1-mile and 13.1-kilometer distance, takes runners on the dirt and grass trails inside Theodore Wirth Park, just west of downtown Minneapolis, featuring some challenging hills and forgiving surfaces.
Potomac River Run Half Marathon
- Where: Washington D.C.
- When: May 2026
This race — which bills itself as the “easiest marathon and half marathon in America” — takes place on the soft dirt path of the C&O Canal Towpath trail, which stretches all the way from the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. to the mountains of western Maryland.
Towpath Half Marathon
- Where: Sagamore Hills, OH
- When: April 13, 2025
You’ll follow a winding route among the wooded trails of Ohio’s 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, along a crushed limestone trail that runs along the Ohio Canal Corridor, a 110-mile stretch of recreational paths for bikers, hikers and walkers.
West Virginia Trilogy Half Marathon
- Where: Circleville, WV
- When: October 10, 2025
Called the “highest race in West Virginia” by the race organizers, this race (which also features a 50K and 50-miler) takes runners on a tour of the winding trails up and down the mountains of the Monongahela National Forest in the state’s northeastern corner.
Rockledge Rumble Trail Half Marathon
- Where: Grapevine, TX
- When: November 8, 2025
Run along the twisting, winding trails of Dallas’s Lake Grapevine, this race features a combination of different kinds of terrain, from soft dirt trails in the early miles to much rockier and more challenging ground in the later miles.
Helen Holiday Trail Half Marathon
- Where: Helen, GA
- When: December 13, 2025
Tucked away in the north Georgia mountains near Helen, a small town that refashioned itself years ago into a Bavarian-style tourist destination for its Oktoberfest festival, Unicoi State Park and Lodge plays host to this winter race. Taking place just before Christmas, this is a great race to end the year on.
