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Running trails in Menlo Park, CA
Menlo Park has 5 trails in the directory — 4 paved, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 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 1,989 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.
Bedwell Bayfront Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 902 reviews
Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.
Flood Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 532 reviews
Green space with many oak & bay trees, plus a baseball field, tennis courts & several picnic areas.
Sharon Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 487 reviews
Playground, ponds and trails around a peaceful park, featuring fish, ducks, turtles, koi and fountains.
Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Ponds and trails for bird-spotting, including pelicans, along with a bridge.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Menlo Park
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (4 of 5). 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. The longest stated distance in Menlo Park is Bedwell Bayfront Park at 2.3 mi.
- 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 5 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Menlo Park. 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, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 2 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 Menlo Park trails by type
Running trails near Menlo Park
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.