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Running trails in Orange, CA
Orange has 16 trails in the directory — 3 paved, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, and 6 shaded. 7 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 17,298 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.
Irvine Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 8,859 reviews
Park offers train & pony rides, plus paddle boat rentals, the Orange County Zoo & picnic areas.
Eisenhower Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 2,435 reviews
Large park featuring a pond filled with fish & ducks, plus walking paths, playgrounds & BBQ grills.
Peters Canyon North Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,160 reviews
Popular jogging & hiking park features coastal sage scrub & grassland habitats, plus a reservoir.
Santiago Oaks Regional Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,768 reviews
Vast park with interconnecting trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding amid mountain vistas.
Grijalva Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,445 reviews
26.5-acre park featuring lighted multipurpose fields, playground, 2 picnic pavilions & green space.
Santiago Hills Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 345 reviews
Basketball and volleyball courts, baseball fields and trails are in this grassy park.
El Modena Open Space
4.5 ★★★★★ 187 reviews
Hiking area known for views of the city and sunsets, also featuring trails that are good for kids.
Roadrunner Loop Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 66 reviews
Moderate looped hiking, biking & equestrian trail stretching 3.2-miles in a hilly regional park.
Barham Ridge Trail Peak
4.8 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Santiago Creek Trail North
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Irvine Regional East Trails
5 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Santa Ana River Trail- mile marker fourteen
4.7 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Santa Ana River Trail- mile marker twelve
4 ★★★★☆ 2 reviews
Dam Trail- restrooms and benches
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Orange
- Match the surface to your legs. Orange gives you a choice: 3 paved and 2 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? 3 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.
- 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. 7 of the 16 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 8 have trailhead parking, 6 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Orange. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 6 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 Orange trails by type
Running trails near Orange
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.