Where To Hike In Memphis
Memphis isn’t primarily a hiking destination, and it’s worth saying that plainly before recommending anywhere. What the city does have is genuinely good: one large urban park built for it, plus a couple of shorter in-city walks worth knowing about.
Shelby Farms Park
This is the main event. Shelby Farms Park in East Memphis is one of the largest urban parks in the United States, covering 4,500 acres with more than 40 miles of trails. It’s large enough that you can spend a half day here without repeating ground, on a short loop or a longer outing. Bring water; there’s little shade on some of the longer stretches, and Memphis summers run hot and humid.
Overton Park
In Midtown, Overton Park offers a shorter, easier walk, with paths through green space that make for a good early-morning or late-afternoon outing before or after a day of downtown sightseeing. It also holds the Memphis Zoo, worth knowing if you’re traveling with kids who want a break partway through, though the zoo itself has had no giant pandas since 2023.
Big River Crossing
Not a trail in the traditional sense, but a free, roughly 1-mile walk across the Mississippi River into West Memphis, Arkansas, on a dedicated pedestrian and bike bridge. It’s flat, paved, and takes under an hour round trip, with river views the whole way. Go near sunset if you can time it.
What to bring
Memphis’s spring carries real tornado and severe-storm risk, so check a weather radar app before heading out between March and May. Summers are hot and humid, frequently above 90°F, so plan any longer walk at Shelby Farms for morning or evening. Sunscreen, water, and insect repellent are worth packing regardless of season.
Beyond the city
If genuine wilderness and longer trails matter more to your trip than city parks, that’s really a Mid-South day-trip story rather than a Memphis one; see our day trips guide for what’s within reach by car.
Where this fits
Shelby Farms and Overton Park both slot naturally into a 4-day or longer itinerary once the music and civil rights core is done. See our 4-day itinerary for exactly where.