Home › California › Merced
Running trails in Merced, CA
Merced has 5 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 3 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,385 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.
Rahilly Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 683 reviews
A 2.9-acre community park with a playground, picnic shelter & access to a cycle path.
Fahrens Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 518 reviews
The Black Rascal Bike Path passes through this recreation area with a playground & disc-golf course.
Burbank Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 167 reviews
Park with a playground, picnic tables, and restrooms, suitable for kids' birthdays and family time.
Cottonwood Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Merced
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (2 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Merced is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 5 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Merced. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 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 Merced trails by type
Running trails near Merced
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.