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Running trails in Auburn, CA
Auburn has 13 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 9 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 5,226 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.
Lake Clementine Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,394 reviews
Steepish but well-marked trail for hiking, mountain biking and splashing at the dam.
Hidden Falls Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,389 reviews
Scenic warren of trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding amid foothills & waterfalls.
Black Hole of Calcutta Falls Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 757 reviews
Pretty waterfalls are the goal of some of the many hiking trails here, including easy ones for families.
Overlook Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 460 reviews
Picturesque recreation spot with a skate park, trails for hiking & horseback riding & canyon views.
Railhead Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 315 reviews
Multipurpose park with 2 large soccer fields & a playground, plus a picnic shelter, trails & a pond.
Robie Point
4.6 ★★★★★ 266 reviews
Extensive ruins on this trail were abandoned when plans for the Auburn Dam were put into place.
Quarry Road Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 186 reviews
Easy hiking trails following a waterway lead to quarry walls, waterfalls and old mines.
Gate 144 - China Bar - Cardiac Trail Peak
4.7 ★★★★★ 147 reviews
Recreation area featuring hiking trails of varying difficulty that lead to canyon views and old mining equipment.
Canyon View Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 87 reviews
Kid-friendly area featuring hiking trails and picnic tables.
Auburn State Recreation Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 77 reviews
Large park on the American River with extensive hiking trails, whitewater boating & gold panning.
Training Hill
4.8 ★★★★★ 72 reviews
Hiking area where trail running and horseback riding are also popular.
Bicentennial Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 63 reviews
Tiny community park offering a paved trail, footbridge & grassy area with picnic tables.
Auburn Trail Run
4.4 ★★★★☆ 13 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Auburn
- Match the surface to your legs. Auburn gives you a choice: 2 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 Auburn is Quarry Road Trail at 10.6 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 Auburn are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 13 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 12 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Auburn. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 9 dog-friendly, and 3 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. 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 Auburn trails by type
Running trails near Auburn
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.