Home › California › Fullerton
Running trails in Fullerton, CA
Fullerton has 22 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 7 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 15 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 12,296 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.
Craig Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,625 reviews
124-acre recreational park with biking, hiking & picnicking, plus hills, a rose garden & a lake.
Hillcrest Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,488 reviews
Picturesque park with shade trees, large picnic areas, a recreation center & several war memorials.
Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,670 reviews
A sprawling, 26-acre greenspace featuring 4,000+ types of plants, walking trails & a museum.
Laguna Lake Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,575 reviews
In addition to lake fishing, this 28.5-acre park offers trails, picnic areas & an equestrian center.
Fullerton Loop - MTB & Hiking Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,096 reviews
Beginning & mid-level cyclists frequent this city recreation area composed of trails & streets.
Acacia Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 461 reviews
This tree-studded greenspace offers walking paths, sports facilities, picnic tables & a playground.
Hiltscher Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 374 reviews
City park offering public access to a creek & a naturalistic trail through the city.
Mountain View Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 357 reviews
Brass plaques in this landscaped park tell visitors what they can see in the wide-spread views.
Vista Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 311 reviews
Small hillside park, rentable for weddings, offering a charming gazebo with outdoor seating & views.
Thankful Tree - Laguna Lake, Fullerton, CA
4.7 ★★★★★ 240 reviews
Picnicking, hiking, and other recreational activities are available at this scenic spot.
Panorama Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 216 reviews
Small nature reserve with a paved & gravel walking trail offering sweeping views.
Brea Dam Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 205 reviews
Tree-lined suburban park open since 1960 with green space & tables for picnics & a footpath.
Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 163 reviews
Serene natural area & hiking/mountain biking spot featuring panoramic views amid desert scenery.
Juanita Cooke Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 139 reviews
Kid- and pet-friendly hiking and biking trail featuring a small lake with wildlife.
West Coyote Hills Tree Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 105 reviews
Public green space featuring benches, lots of trees & a trail for mountain biking or hiking.
Nora Kuttner Recreational Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 76 reviews
Trail through hilly chaparral landscape featuring mountain-bike paths, hiking, running and benches.
West Coyote Hills Nature Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 34 reviews
Hiltscher Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 31 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Fullerton
- Match the surface to your legs. Fullerton gives you a choice: 4 natural surface, 1 paved, 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 natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 7 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 Fullerton is Juanita Cooke Trail at 9 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Fullerton is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 15 of the 22 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 15 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 5 have a water fountain in Fullerton. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 13 that runners describe as quiet, 13 dog-friendly, and 9 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 Fullerton trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Fullerton
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.