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Running trails in Mountain View, CA
Mountain View has 13 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 3 shaded, and 8 open 24 hours. 10 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 6,729 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.
Shoreline Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,832 reviews
Park with a golf course, a lake with boat rentals, walking/biking trails & a Victorian house museum.
Cuesta Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,712 reviews
With wide-open spaces & shaded parts, this park has a playground, tennis courts & BBQ facilities.
Whisman Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 308 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring swings and slides, plus tennis courts and a dog park.
Permanente Creek Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 216 reviews
This scenic multi-use trail connects residential areas with businesses & recreational facilities.
Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 188 reviews
Waterfront nature preserve with a half-mile hiking trail offering birdwatching opportunities.
Stevens Creek Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 142 reviews
Popular trail suitable for walking, biking, and jogging.
Creekside Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 134 reviews
This neighborhood hangout features grassy areas, walking paths, picnic pavilions & kids' play areas.
Vista Slope At Shoreline Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 76 reviews
Hiking area that's appropriate for children.
Mountain View Bay Trailhead
5 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
Stevens Creek Trail El Camino Real Trailhead
4.1 ★★★★☆ 8 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Mountain View
- Match the surface to your legs. Mountain View gives you a choice: 2 paved and 1 mixed. 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. 8 trails in Mountain View are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 10 of the 13 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. 6 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 6 have a water fountain in Mountain View. 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, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 4 dog-friendly, and 1 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 Mountain View trails by type
Running trails near Mountain View
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.