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Running trails in Monrovia, CA
Monrovia has 7 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 5 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 1,371 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.
Monrovia Canyon Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 703 reviews
City park on 80 acres with trails, camping & a waterfall, plus a nature center & cabin for events.
Julian Fisher Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 290 reviews
Kiwanis Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 148 reviews
Park with a playground and picnic tables, plus swings and slides for kids.
Lucinda Garcia Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 112 reviews
Playground-equipped area with a circular running trail around its perimeter.
Rotary Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 69 reviews
Park featuring a playground, as well as grassy and rubber-floored areas for playing.
Sunset Bench
4.8 ★★★★★ 20 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Monrovia
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is crushed gravel (1 of 7). 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 crushed gravel trails →
- 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 Monrovia is Monrovia Canyon Park at 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. 5 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 2 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Monrovia. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, and 3 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 Monrovia trails by type
Running trails near Monrovia
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.