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Running trails in Redwood City, CA
Redwood City has 15 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 8 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 4,927 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.
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,387 reviews
467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.
Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
4.6 ★★★★★ 958 reviews
Dog-friendly preserve offering 366 acres of open space, with hiking trails through canyons & ridges.
Stulsaft Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 744 reviews
A 42-acre park featuring wooded trails as well as a playground, summer water feature & picnic area.
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 697 reviews
Jumbo natural forest featuring hiking & horseback trails, unique plants & rare sandstone formations.
Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 381 reviews
Open, flat area with water views popular for bird-watching, biking, and walking.
Sawyer Camp Trail South Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 289 reviews
Flat paved pathway running alongside a lake and reservoir, with views, deer sightings and benches.
Lower Entrance | Stulsaft Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 130 reviews
Woodland area, popular with dog walkers, plus a playground and picnic tables.
Crystal Springs Regional Trail (South of Dam Segment)
4.7 ★★★★★ 62 reviews
Flat paved trails around a reservoir, popular with hikers, runners and cyclists.
Bair Island State Marine Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 69 reviews
Nature preserve with views of the bay & adjacent wetlands also known for hiking, kayaking & birding.
Sunset Trailhead | Edgewood Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 57 reviews
Visitors to this kid-friendly hiking area will find diverse trails, a nature center, and picnic tables.
Mariner Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 59 reviews
Tranquil lawned field with a playground, a bayfront bench and space to walk or jog.
Wetland Overlook
4.8 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Steinberger Slough Trail
4.2 ★★★★☆ 6 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Redwood City
- Match the surface to your legs. Redwood City gives you a choice: 3 paved, 2 natural surface, 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? 5 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 Redwood City is El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve at 34 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Redwood City are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 8 of the 15 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking, 9 have restrooms, and 7 have a water fountain in Redwood City. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 8 dog-friendly, and 2 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 Redwood City trails by type
- Paved trails
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Redwood City
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.