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Running trails in Los Altos Hills, CA
Los Altos Hills has 6 trails in the directory — 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, and 2 shaded. 3 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 2,096 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.
Foothills Nature Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,540 reviews
Miles of trails guide visitors through woodlands & fields, past streams & lakes in this vast park.
Rhus Ridge Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 245 reviews
Black mountain known for its vistas, with steep climbs and trails for hiking and jogging.
Hidden Villa Hiking Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 167 reviews
Relaxed farm featuring hikes and an educational garden, plus kid-friendly trails.
Byrne Preserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 133 reviews
Scenic pasture backed by wooded hills and rolling hills, with laid-back walking trails and wildlife.
Bob Stutz Path
4.3 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Los Altos Hills
- Match the surface to your legs. 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.
- 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 Los Altos Hills is Windmill Pasture Trailhead at 250 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 3 of the 6 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Los Altos Hills. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 shaded, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 2 dog-friendly. 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 Los Altos Hills trails by type
Running trails near Los Altos Hills
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.