Running trails in Los Gatos, CA

How to pick a trail in Los Gatos

• Match the surface to your legs. Los Gatos gives you a choice: 5 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 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 Los Gatos is Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve at 9.7 mi. 1 trail is 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. 8 of the 15 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
• Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 12 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Los Gatos. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
• The small things that decide it. 9 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 9 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 Los Gatos trails by type

• Natural surface trails (5 in Los Gatos)
• Mixed trails (1 in Los Gatos)
• Loop trails (7 in Los Gatos)
• Long-run trails (5+ mi) (1 in Los Gatos)
• Shaded trails (9 in Los Gatos)
• Flat & fast (4 in Los Gatos)
• Hilly trails (13 in Los Gatos)
• Scenic trails (12 in Los Gatos)
• Trails with restrooms (4 in Los Gatos)
• Trails with water fountains (2 in Los Gatos)
• Trailhead parking (12 in Los Gatos)
• Trails with mile markers (2 in Los Gatos)
• Quiet, uncrowded trails (3 in Los Gatos)
• Dog-friendly (9 in Los Gatos)
• Stroller & wheelchair-accessible (4 in Los Gatos)

Running trails near Los Gatos

Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.

• Running trails in Saratoga, CA (12 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in Campbell, CA (8 · 5 mi)
• Running trails in MONTE VISTA, CA (1 · 6 mi)
• Running trails in Cupertino, CA (19 · 8 mi)
• Running trails in San Jose, CA (33 · 10 mi)
• Running trails in Scotts Valley, CA (8 · 11 mi)
• Running trails in Santa Clara, CA (13 · 11 mi)
• Running trails in La Honda, CA (2 · 11 mi)