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Running trails in Hayward, CA
Hayward has 17 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 12 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 7,004 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.
Garin Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,483 reviews
This natural area with hills, fields & streams houses a seasonal visitor center on ranching history.
Don Castro Regional Recreation Area
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,409 reviews
101-acre park featuring a lagoon with swimming & fishing, plus wildlife & waterfront trails.
Kennedy Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,366 reviews
Big, popular park with a playground, petting zoo & train, plus greenery, trails & picnic areas.
Meek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 883 reviews
Landscaped grounds of a historic mansion with play structures, picnic space with grills & open lawn.
Hayward Regional Shoreline
4.6 ★★★★★ 782 reviews
Spacious wetlands park boasting gravelled, shoreline trails known for birdwatching & jogging.
Mount Eden Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 426 reviews
Community park featuring picnic shelters & a playground, plus baseball, basketball & tennis.
East Avenue Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 176 reviews
Scenic green space boasting shaded picnic areas, hiking trails, and a play structure.
Centennial Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 193 reviews
This community park has facilities for basketball, baseball & soccer plus BBQ grills & a playground.
High Ridge Loop Trail Head
4.8 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Park featuring hiking trails of varying difficulty levels through picturesque scenery.
Eden Greenway Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 90 reviews
Park offering a playground and picnic tables, plus food distribution on Mondays and Thursdays.
San Lorenzo Trail
5 ★★★★★ 7 reviews
South Fork Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 6 reviews
Bay Area Ridge Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Hayward
- Match the surface to your legs. Hayward gives you a choice: 2 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 4 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 Hayward is Garin Regional Park at 35 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 Hayward is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 17 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 7 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Hayward. 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, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 6 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Hayward trails by type
Running trails near Hayward
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.