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Running trails in Lincoln, CA
Lincoln has 9 trails in the directory — 4 paved, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 6 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 2,148 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.
McBean Memorial Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,044 reviews
Relaxed park featuring a play area with swings, a sandbox and a skateboard park, as well as a pool and a fenced-in playground.
Foskett Regional Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 387 reviews
42-acre park featuring a softball complex, 3 playgrounds, a soccer field & a walking path.
Coyote Pond Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 351 reviews
Suburban park spanning 24+ acres, with a large pond, play & picnic areas & a trail network.
Joiner Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 238 reviews
13-acre park with a wetland area, plus ball fields, a baseball diamond and play areas.
Auburn Ravine Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 65 reviews
Nature preserve with a paved trail, a creek, wildlife, and a popular dog park.
South Creek Wilson Park Trail Head
4.3 ★★★★☆ 14 reviews
Twelve Bridges Southcreek Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lincoln
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (4 of 9). 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Lincoln is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 6 of the 9 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. 4 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Lincoln. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 4 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Lincoln trails by type
Running trails near Lincoln
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.