If you run in Gloucester long enough, you’re going to learn two things pretty quickly: you’re probably going to see the ocean, and you’re probably going to hit more hills than you planned on.
That’s why you either love it or you hate it!
I’ve lived around the North Shore most of my life, and one thing I appreciate more as I get older is just how many options we have around Gloucester. You can head out for an easy couple of miles along the harbor, tackle the hills around East Gloucester or disappear into the woods for a trail run. You don’t have to drive half an hour just to find somewhere interesting to run.
Gloucester isn’t necessarily an easy running town, though. Our roads can be narrow and the terrain changes quickly. Don’t even get me started on summer traffic – that’s its own special headache. And if you venture into Dogtown without knowing where you’re going, your 45-minute run might turn into an all-afternoon adventure.
Without further ado, here’s my guide to running around Gloucester, including some of my favorite areas and a few things I’d tell somebody who’s new to running on Cape Ann.
The Classic Gloucester Run: Stage Fort Park and Stacy Boulevard
If somebody told me they were visiting Gloucester and only had time for one run, I’d probably send them toward Stage Fort Park.
Stage Fort sits right on Gloucester Harbor at 24 Hough Avenue and is one of those places where you immediately remember why people put up with Massachusetts winters to live here. You’ve got the harbor in front of you, plenty of open space and easy access to one of Gloucester’s most recognizable running stretches. The park itself is also home to Half Moon Beach and Cressy’s Beach, plus basketball and tennis courts.
Head out of Stage Fort toward Western Avenue and Stacy Boulevard Park and you’ve got yourself a great waterfront run.
You’ll pass the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial and then Gloucester’s famous Fisherman’s Memorial, the “Man at the Wheel.” Keep going and you’re headed toward downtown and Harbor Loop. The city describes Stacy Boulevard as a promenade overlooking Gloucester Harbor, and benches line the route if you’re walking or doing run/walk intervals.
A Stage Fort-to-Harbor route is also easy to adjust according to how you’re feeling. One established running route puts the stretch between Stage Fort and Maritime Gloucester at roughly 1.9 miles each way.
If you’re feeling good, keep going! If you’re having one of those runs where your legs feel like they’re filled with concrete, you can turn around early. No one will call the running police.
Why I like it
This is where I’d send a newer runner who wants scenery without dealing with technical trails. You’ve also got enough landmarks that the run doesn’t feel monotonous. Just don’t expect to set a personal record, because you’re probably going to spend at least a little time looking out at the harbor.
For the Ocean Views: Back Shore and Atlantic Road
Now we’re talking. If you’re after crashing waves, rocky coastline, and old Cape Ann homes, head toward East Gloucester and the Back Shore. Atlantic Road is one of those stretches that tends to make me forget I’m even exercising.
One popular running route follows Atlantic Road south of Good Harbor Beach toward Eastern Point, with roughly 2.3 miles between the Good Harbor area and Farrington Avenue before continuing farther toward Eastern Point.
The ocean is right there for much of the run, which is fantastic on a calm morning but a whole different beast on a windy day. I’ve had runs around the Gloucester coastline where I felt great heading one direction and suddenly wondered if I’d completely lost my conditioning after turning around. Don’t worry, that’s just the Atlantic reminding you who’s in charge.
My advice for running the Back Shore
Don’t get too obsessed with pace here. Between the rolling terrain, coastal wind and scenery, I think this is a much better “just go run” route than a place to stare at your watch every thirty seconds.
It’s especially nice early in the morning before the roads get busier. And during the warmer months, remember that Gloucester changes quite a bit once beach traffic gets going. It might be peaceful at 6:30 in the morning, but it can be a very different situation later in the day.
Want Hills? Run Through Gloucester’s Neighborhoods
People from other parts of the state sometimes think “coastal running” means flat roads next to the water. Gloucester would like a word.
Head inland and you’ll find plenty of hills. Streets around the center of Gloucester can make an ordinary run surprisingly tough. School Street, Church Street, Beacon Street and Proctor Street are among the roads highlighted in local running guides for village running, with one important warning: it’s hilly.
I actually like this kind of running because you don’t have to manufacture a complicated interval workout. The terrain does it for you. Super nice of it, right?
You’ll run comfortably on the flatter sections and work a little harder going uphill. Then you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world as you recover on the way down. After a few weeks, you’ll probably notice that routes you used to consider “hilly” elsewhere don’t seem quite so bad anymore.
Ready for Trails? Try Ravenswood Park
Road running isn’t your thing? Gloucester has you covered there too.
Ravenswood Park is one of my favorite places to recommend when somebody wants to get off the pavement. It’s a large wooded reservation over in the Magnolia area, and you’ll find a mixture of broader carriage roads and narrower trails.
Some local running forums describe Ravenswood as having carriage roads, smoother single-track sections and some more rugged trails. The carriage roads can work particularly well if you’re newer to trail running and aren’t ready to spend an hour hopping over rocks and roots.
That’s something worth knowing if you’ve only ever run on pavement – trail running is different. Your normal road pace doesn’t mean much once you’ve got rocks, roots, elevation changes and turns under your feet. Slow down and pay attention to where you’re stepping. And don’t worry too much if your mile time suddenly looks terrible. Nobody ever won a prize for running face-first into a tree because they were checking their Garmin!
Ravenswood can kind of make you forget you’re still in Gloucester for a little while. The Ledge Hill Trail has awesome views toward Eastern Point and Gloucester Harbor.
Dogtown: Gloucester Running on Hard Mode
Sooner or later, every Cape Ann runner starts hearing about Dogtown. Dogtown is a huge part of Gloucester’s outdoor fitness scene, and it’s an incredible place to run if you like trails. You’ve got old roads, woods, rocks and the famous Babson Boulders with inscriptions including “WORK,” “GET A JOB” and “HELP MOTHER.”
Not to be dramatic, but it can also be confusing. Most locals agree that Dogtown is easy to get lost in. So if this is your first time, have a map or GPS route available and tell somebody where you’re going. Better yet, run with someone who knows Dogtown!
Once you know your way around, though, it’s a fantastic training ground. You can find relatively smooth carriage roads and much more technical sections. The annual Dogtown Trail Race gives you an idea of what the terrain can be like: its 5.4-mile course includes carriage roads along with considerably rockier technical stretches requiring what organizers describe as “boulder-hopping.”
Good Harbor and Bass Rocks
Good Harbor Beach is obviously…a beach. But it’s also a useful landmark for runners heading around East Gloucester. The area around Good Harbor connects nicely with Bass Rocks and Atlantic Road, giving you some classic Cape Ann oceanfront running.
There’s a pretty serious local road-running tradition here. The Lone Gull 10K starts near Good Harbor Beach and follows Gloucester’s Atlantic shoreline around Bass Rocks and Atlantic Road. The certified 10K course is 6.2 miles of “rolling terrain,” according to the organizers.
If you’re trying to build toward your first 10K, running portions of this area can give you a pretty good introduction to what a Cape Ann road race feels like.
Don’t Sleep on Magnolia
Magnolia sometimes gets overlooked when people talk about running in Gloucester, but I think it deserves some attention.
Western Avenue takes you toward Magnolia, and the area gives you access to Ravenswood along with quieter residential stretches and some good hills.
There’s also Magnolia Woods Recreational Area on Western Avenue. The city maintains 25 acres there, including fields and areas open for hiking and nature walks.
I wouldn’t necessarily make Magnolia Woods the centerpiece of a long run, but the broader Magnolia area gives you another option when you’ve run your usual downtown and East Gloucester routes one too many times.
Running Around Gloucester in the Summer
Summer running around here deserves its own section because Gloucester in February and Gloucester in July might as well be two different cities.
The obvious issue is traffic.
Good Harbor, Stage Fort and the roads near the water become much busier during beach season. If you’re running near popular beaches, getting out early can make the experience considerably better.
Heat matters too. We might not get Arizona temperatures, but a humid Massachusetts morning can humble you pretty quickly. Add direct sun along an exposed coastal road and that normal five-mile loop can suddenly feel a lot harder. So please lose the ego and slow down when you need to. There’s no shame in that game.
And Then There’s Winter
Running in Gloucester during winter requires a certain amount of stubbornness…or insanity, depending on who you talk to. I find the cold to be manageable when I’m dressed for it, but it’s the wind that gets me. A perfectly reasonable winter temperature can feel brutal when you’re exposed along the harbor or Back Shore.
Pay attention to ice, too. A shaded stretch that looks wet may not just be wet when temperatures are hovering around freezing.
This is also the time of year when I think runners should be willing to supplement outdoor mileage with strength training or indoor cardio. Missing one icy outdoor run isn’t going to destroy your fitness, but breaking your wrist because you insisted on getting five miles in might!
Road Running vs. Trail Running in Gloucester
One of the things I love about running here is that you don’t have to choose between road running and trail running. Both options are never too far away.
They challenge you differently, too. With road running, it’s easier to maintain a consistent pace. With trail running, you have to react constantly to changes in terrain, which works your legs differently because you’re climbing and navigating uneven surfaces.
If you’ve only done one, I highly recommend you try the other. You may discover you don’t actually “hate running” after all! Maybe you just hate running on a treadmill.
If You’re New to Running in Gloucester
Don’t worry about finding the “best” route immediately. Start somewhere simple. I’d probably begin around Stage Fort and Stacy Boulevard because navigation is easy and you can turn around whenever you’ve had enough. Once you’re comfortable, explore East Gloucester and the Back Shore. Then try Ravenswood.
Save Dogtown until you’ve got a decent idea of what you’re getting yourself into. And don’t judge yourself against the runners you see flying past you. Gloucester and the North Shore have a serious running community. Some of those people have been doing this for decades.
Run your own run.
My Favorite Thing About Running in Gloucester
For me, it’s the variety. I can have one run where I’m watching fishing boats in Gloucester Harbor and another where I’m picking my way over rocks in the woods. I can run through downtown, get hammered by wind along the ocean or discover a road I’ve somehow never bothered going down before.
Sometimes I just head out the door and see where my legs take me. I’ve come to appreciate that kind of running much more as I’ve gotten older. I’m not training for the Olympics (Most of us aren’t.) I’m trying to stay in shape and still be able to do the things I enjoy ten or twenty years down the road.
Having Gloucester as the backdrop isn’t a bad bonus!
See you out there.
Matt Sullivan
TeamGloster