(Business 2.0) – San Francisco The Obvious Run: The Embarcadero The Insider Run: Crissy Field

San Francisco's newest park is a stone's throw from the bay, on the site of a former military airfield in the Presidio. The runway was torn up a few years ago, and the area was restored to a lush wetland, replete with gravel trails for running and biking. Start at the East Beach parking lot just beyond the Marina Gate, and head west toward the Golden Gate Bridge. (If the bay is socked in by fog, just keep the water to your right. The bridge is out there--we promise.) Turn around when you reach the Civil War-era fort nestled under the bridge span.

Boston The Obvious Run: The Charles River The Insider Run: Emerald Necklace Park

Thanks to landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, you can avoid the crowds along the Charles River--without sacrificing great scenery. Head to Olmsted's Emerald Necklace Park, a meandering, 6-mile-long strip of nature that hugs the Muddy River, a tributary of the Charles. The park includes Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, where you can run through a hemlock grove or climb one of Boston's tallest hills to take in a sweeping panorama of the city.

Chicago The Obvious Run: Lakefront Running Path from Navy Pier to North Avenue Beach The Insider Run: Lakefront Running Path through Lincoln Park

Chicago's runners know where to enjoy the city's most popular trail without the attendant overpopulation: a 2.5-mile stretch of the Lakefront Running Path that isn't, well, lakefront. Join the trail at North Avenue Beach, take the footbridge over Lake Shore Drive into Lincoln Park, and then head north along the gravel running path till it ends just south of the Waveland Avenue Totem Pole. To your right is a lovely sanctuary for migratory birds; do a loop around the sanctuary, and then head back the way you came, taking in views of the broad-shouldered Chicago skyline.

New Orleans The Obvious Run: St. Charles Avenue The Insider Run: Audubon Park

You could take a Chevy to the levee in N'awlins--but why? Instead, jump on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, which rambles past dozens of gorgeous antebellum homes. Get off at Audubon Park, near Tulane University, and run the length of the park, past the zoo, to the levee along the Mississippi. Before turning around to go back to St. Charles, you'll run alongside tankers and cargo ships that ply the river. After a few miles in the New Orleans heat, you'll appreciate that shower more than ever when you get back to your room.

New York The Obvious Run: Central Park The Insider Run: The Hudson River Greenway

Flanking the West Side Highway, the Hudson River Greenway is a new foot and bike path that stretches from the George Washington Bridge to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. Enter the path by heading west from any hotel in midtown or downtown, and then run south, keeping the water on your right. You'll see the Statue of Liberty beckoning in the distance. Ignore her--she does that to everyone.

Seattle The Obvious Run: Myrtle Edwards Park The Insider Run: Green Lake Park

The 3-mile loop at Green Lake is a favorite destination for Seattle's outdoorsy locals. Typically packed with people on sunny days, the park is 8 miles north of downtown. To bypass the crowds, skip the asphalt path that hugs the lake's circumference. Instead, run along the 3.2-mile perimeter pathway of bark, dirt, and gravel. Between the two trails, you're likely to see lots of people tossing Frisbees, playing hacky sack, or partaking in that quintessentially Seattle pastime, sipping coffee. Keep running. --YISHANE LEE