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Running trails in Palmdale, CA
Palmdale has 18 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 13 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 3,672 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.
Marie Kerr Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,251 reviews
Public park with a pool, skate park, playground, ballfields, athletic courts, amphitheater & BBQs.
Domenic Massari Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 1,103 reviews
Grassy recreational place with soccer fields, a baseball diamond & skate park, plus playgrounds.
Pelona Vista Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 582 reviews
Large recreational park with lighted soccer fields & trails for running, plus mountain views.
Anaverde Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Relaxed public space featuring a playground, slides and a basketball court, plus a picnic area.
Barrel Springs Park and Ride
4.4 ★★★★☆ 120 reviews
Popular area featuring a trail that's suitable for hiking, jogging, and walking.
Arnie Quinones Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 91 reviews
Quiet park that's good for kids, and allows dogs.
Rancho Vista Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 76 reviews
Neighborhood park offering swings, slides, and other play equipment, plus picnic tables.
Anaverde Hiking Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 63 reviews
Hiking area featuring kid-friendly trails.
Tejon Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 59 reviews
Hiking area that's good for kids, and also popular with equestrians.
Ritter Ranch Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 40 reviews
This park offers over 4,000 acres of mountain & desert terrain with trails for hikers & cyclists.
Palmdale Hills Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 21 reviews
Amargosa Creek Natural Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 17 reviews
Avenue S Bike Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Palmdale
- Match the surface to your legs. Palmdale gives you a choice: 2 crushed gravel, 1 paved, and 1 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 crushed gravel 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 Palmdale are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 18 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Palmdale. 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, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 7 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 Palmdale trails by type
Running trails near Palmdale
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.