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Running trails in Chico, CA
Chico has 19 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 13 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 8,396 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.
Upper Bidwell Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 2,303 reviews
Sprawling park in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains featuring rock formations & more.
Bidwell Park One-Mile
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,433 reviews
Popular for its swimming creek, this park also offers a playground, athletic field & picnic space.
DeGarmo Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,138 reviews
Clean park featuring 3 baseball fields and 4 soccer pitches, plus a playground.
Hooker Oak Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 736 reviews
Recreational park featuring baseball/softball fields, horseshoe pits, a playground & picnic areas.
Five Mile Recreation Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 685 reviews
Natural setting with picnic tables & grills & a nearby creek with stair access for swimming.
Lower Bidwell Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 463 reviews
Family-friendly venue with barbecue and picnic facilities, a year-round stream, and a playground, plus bike and walking paths.
Lower Bidwell Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 315 reviews
Serene park with lots of tree-shaded paths for walking & biking, plus picnic sites & a playground.
Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 289 reviews
River activities are the highlight at this charming park known for its fishing, tubing & boating.
Monkey Face View | Upper Bidwell Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 248 reviews
Hiking area with a creek and kid-friendly routes offering views of Chico.
Bidwell Hiking Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 172 reviews
Rugged city park in a canyon, with dirt trails for hiking, mountain biking & horseback riding.
Baroni Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 139 reviews
Well-kept neighborhood park featuring playgrounds, grassy lawns and a basketball court.
Comanche Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 133 reviews
Peaceful place with paved trails, some labeled, plus picnic tables and a babbling creek.
Chico Canyon Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 101 reviews
Relaxed, dog-friendly hike with stunning scenery and mountain trails.
Comanche Creek Greenway
3.7 ★★★★☆ 105 reviews
Park with picnic tables and a trail, plus some users reporting a homeless population.
Butte Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve - Virgin Valley Unit
4.5 ★★★★★ 56 reviews
Nature preserve featuring a water component and an area suitable for children.
Chico Creek Nature Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 32 reviews
Annie Bidwell Trail
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Chico
- Match the surface to your legs. Chico gives you a choice: 3 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? 2 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 Chico is Five Mile Recreation Area at 5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Chico are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Chico. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 12 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Chico trails by type
Running trails near Chico
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.