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Running trails in San Leandro, CA
San Leandro has 7 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 5 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 3,700 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.
Chabot Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,612 reviews
Leafy nature area with a big lake, hiking trails & a disc golf course, popular for fishing & biking.
Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline
4.4 ★★★★☆ 774 reviews
Waterfront park near the airport offers birdwatching, picnic areas, a loop trail & wide bay vistas.
Washington Manor Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 718 reviews
Family-friendly park featuring pools, baseball fields and playgrounds.
Halcyon Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 418 reviews
Family-friendly park with a kids' playground, picnic benches and barbecue grills, plus a volleyball court.
Fairmont Ridge Staging Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 152 reviews
Area with winding dirt trails and a paved path, for off-leash dog walking.
San Lorenzo Bay Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 17 reviews
Heron Bay trail
4.1 ★★★★☆ 9 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in San Leandro
- Match the surface to your legs. San Leandro gives you a choice: 2 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? 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 San Leandro is Fairmont Ridge Staging Area at 70 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- 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. 5 of the 7 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 5 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in San Leandro. 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, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 3 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 San Leandro trails by type
Running trails near San Leandro
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.