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Running trails in Morro Bay, CA
Morro Bay has 10 trails in the directory — 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 9 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 5,058 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.
Morro Bay T Pier
4.8 ★★★★★ 3,620 reviews
Wildlife park featuring otters and seals along with views of Morro Rock.
Coleman Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 457 reviews
Waterfront gathering place with scenic bay views, abundant bird life & picnic & playground areas.
Del Mar Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 413 reviews
9-acre local park offering a playground, various sports courts, walking trails & a creek.
Cloisters Community Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 264 reviews
Kid-friendly park featuring a playground, grassy lawn, beach access and walking trails.
Black Hill Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 175 reviews
Popular hiking destination with a scenic overlook of Morro Bay, Los Osos, and Morro Rock.
Morro Bay State Park Boardwalk
4.8 ★★★★★ 52 reviews
Estuary with trails and boardwalks for birding and enjoying nature.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Morro Bay
- Match the surface to your legs. Morro Bay gives you a choice: 2 boardwalk, 2 mixed, and 1 crushed gravel. 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 boardwalk trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Morro Bay are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 10 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 6 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Morro Bay. 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, and 5 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 Morro Bay trails by type
Running trails near Morro Bay
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.