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Running trails in Manhattan Beach, CA
Manhattan Beach has 4 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 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 1,273 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.
Sand Dune Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 785 reviews
Recreation area with a playground & trails up a 100-foot-high sand dune; reservations required.
Manhattan Beach
4.7 ★★★★★ 305 reviews
West Coast beach attracting surfers and volleyball players.
Veterans Parkway
4.6 ★★★★★ 182 reviews
This scenic trail featuring shade trees, benches, fitness stations & public art allows leashed dogs.
Wood Chip Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Manhattan Beach
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is natural surface (1 of 4). 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? 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 Manhattan Beach is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 3 of the 4 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. 3 have trailhead parking and 2 have restrooms in Manhattan Beach. 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 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 Manhattan Beach trails by type
Running trails near Manhattan Beach
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.