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Running trails in Riverside, CA
Riverside has 21 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 19 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 17,589 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.
Mount Rubidoux Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 4,212 reviews
Natural terrain for dog-running, hiking & views, centered around a giant white cross at the summit.
Ryan Bonaminio Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,137 reviews
Neighborhood park featuring athletic fields & courts, a playground, picnic shelters & concessions.
Andulka Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,631 reviews
Tennis center with 10 championship courts along with lessons, programs & a full-service pro shop.
California Citrus State Historic Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,403 reviews
Park dedicated to preserving the history of California's great citrus boom of the 20th century.
Sycamore Highlands Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,203 reviews
Rolling neighborhood park with children's play & picnic areas & scenic footpaths.
Doty Trust Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,160 reviews
Nature site with a water park, playground, picnicking with grills & trails with an exercise course.
Martha McLean-Anza Narrows Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,116 reviews
Open space on the Santa Ana River with jogging & biking trails & areas for picnicking.
Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 918 reviews
Several trails connect this 1,424-acre public space to the communities surrounding it.
Bordwell Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 660 reviews
Green neighborhood park with baseball fields, a basketball court and a playground.
Mt. Rubidoux Peak
4.8 ★★★★★ 397 reviews
Park offering family-friendly hiking trails with views of a valley.
Challen Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 353 reviews
Sprawling nature area with hilly open space, hiking trails, scenic views & a parking lot.
Santa Ana River Regional Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 341 reviews
Hidden Valley Nature Center
4.6 ★★★★★ 321 reviews
Tranquil nature preserve offering scenic views & trails for hiking, cycling & horseback riding.
Two Trees Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 266 reviews
Easy hike with scenic views, plus coyotes and trails for kids, burros and donkeys.
Mount Rubidoux Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 143 reviews
Popular 3.2-mi. hiking trail with views of the Inland Empire, also used for running, biking, and dog walking.
Santa Ana River Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 76 reviews
Park featuring horse trails, as well as bike paths including one that is paved and one off-road.
Hidden Valley Wildlife Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
Open area with trails for hiking and biking, plus spacious parking.
Louis Robidoux Parkland & Pecan Grove
4.1 ★★★★☆ 46 reviews
Santa Ana River Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 25 reviews
Paved, multi-use trail that runs 120 mi. along the Santa Ana River from Huntington Beach.
Santa Ana River Trail, Riverside
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Riverside
- Match the surface to your legs. Riverside gives you a choice: 3 paved, 1 crushed gravel, 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? 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Riverside is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 19 of the 21 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. 13 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 5 have a water fountain in Riverside. 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, 5 that runners describe as quiet, 6 dog-friendly, and 5 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 Riverside trails by type
Running trails near Riverside
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.