America’s Best Family Friendly East Coast Trail Running Festivals

Best Family Friendly Trail Running Festivals

A weekend family getaway is the sort of childhood experience that is rarely forgotten.  Combine a weekend adventure with trail running and you have the ingredients for unforgettable memories–and family stories that will get retold, relived, and shared for generations to come.

My kids seriously live for roadtrips, travel, and running adventures. So do I, quite frankly.  Mention Iceland and my kids will light up recalling adventures running up Mt. Esja in the cold rain.  Mention Hawaii and they’ll list off a bunch of favorite runs, including running up Oahu’s Lanikai Pillbox Trail.  Ask about Key West, and they’ll talk about seeing chicken roadkill while racing. Ask about Myrtle Beach and you’ll likely to hear about trail running adventures before mini-golfing.  Mention Maine, you’ll hear all about running at the Salomon Pineland Trail Festival.

For a family-friendly, east coast travel/trail running weekend getaway, here are our picks for 2017 Best Family Friendly East Coast Trail Running Festivals.

Pineland Trail Running Festival. May 27 & 28, 2017. New Gloucester, Maine.  This family-friendly festival takes place outside of Freeport, Maine, making it a great weekend trail running getaway pick because given the festival activities, local shopping, and entertainment. Pineland Trail Running Festival

ShoeFly Trail Running Festival. September 15-17, 2017.  East Burke, Vermont.  In its inaugural year, this 3-day trail running festival will feature ultras, 50K with generous cut-off, 25K, 10K Glow/Torch Run, 5Ks, 1Mile Kidz ‘n Parents trail run, kid zone, live music, entertainment and more, all located in a top U.S. travel destination, with an award winning trail system, mountain resort featuring a kid-friendly arcade, and laid back family-friendly town vibe. We’re pretty stoked about this race because we get to help plan it. ShoeFly Trail Running Festival.

Jay Peak Trail Running Festival. September 2-3, 2017. Jay, Vermont.  This festival will introduce some big changes for 2017, including changes to run distances. Location at Jay Peak with its kid-friendly water park and resort amenities make this a good weekend family getaway choice. Jay Peak Trail Running Festival.

You can read about other trail running destinations, races and events here.