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Running trails in Napa, CA
Napa has 15 trails in the directory — 4 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 4 shaded, and 3 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 3,956 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.
Skyline Wilderness Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,263 reviews
Wilderness park offering hiking, biking & equestrian trails, camp sites & a native plant garden.
Kennedy Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 921 reviews
Public space that includes softball fields, 2 sand volleyball courts, picnic sites & formal garden.
Alston Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 588 reviews
Biking & hiking on 157 scenic acres encompassing grasslands, meadows, groves, a canyon & a creek.
Westwood Hills Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 495 reviews
Home to the Carolyn Parr Nature Museum, this park also has miles of trails through groves & meadows.
Trancas Crossing Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 160 reviews
Small park with trails for walking, running, biking, and dog walking.
Alston Park Off-Leash Dog Area
4.7 ★★★★★ 136 reviews
Enclosed park for dogs, featuring shaded picnic tables, off-leash areas and trails.
Shurtleff Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 134 reviews
Grass and shade abound at this large dog park featuring areas for running and socializing.
Timberhill Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 68 reviews
Park featuring paved trails for walking, plus breathtaking views from the summit of the hill.
Napa River Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 40 reviews
Stanly Ranch Area Public Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 23 reviews
Napa River Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 9 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Napa
- Match the surface to your legs. Napa gives you a choice: 4 paved and 3 natural surface. 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? 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 Napa is Timberhill Park at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Napa 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 15 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Napa. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 4 shaded, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 4 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 Napa trails by type
Running trails near Napa
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.