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Running trails in Altadena, CA
Altadena has 4 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 2 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 668 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
El Prieto Canyon
4.7 ★★★★★ 266 reviews
Popular hiking area with multiple trails and benches, plus wildlife and water crossings.
Echo Sunset Prieto Trail Loop
4.7 ★★★★★ 179 reviews
Hiking area with kid-friendly trails and opportunities for mountain biking.
Gabrielino Trail Western Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 154 reviews
Hiking area with a well-maintained trail, canyon views, and some water crossings.
Sunset Ridge Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 69 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area featuring a mountain.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Altadena
- Match the surface to your legs. Altadena gives you a choice: 1 paved, 1 natural surface, and 1 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Altadena is Gabrielino Trail Western Trailhead at 8.8 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Altadena are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 2 of the 4 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking in Altadena. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 dog-friendly. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Altadena trails by type
Running trails near Altadena
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.