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Running trails in San Luis Obispo, CA
San Luis Obispo has 17 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 9 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 2,332 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.
Bishop Peak
4.8 ★★★★★ 426 reviews
Easy-to-moderate hike to a peak offering valley views, plus a practice rock-climbing cliff.
Johnson Ranch Open Space
4.7 ★★★★★ 363 reviews
Well-known option for hiking & mountain biking, with a variety of trails & scenic views.
Irish Hills Natural Reserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 343 reviews
Large natural area featuring diverse habitats & 8+ miles of trails for hiking & mountain biking.
Bob Jones Trail Head
4.9 ★★★★★ 264 reviews
Paved trail for walkers and bikers along San Luis Obispo Creek, with stops for food and drink.
Bishop Peak & Felsman Loop Trailhead Patricia Street Entrance
4.7 ★★★★★ 201 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area offering moderate trails.
South Hills Open Space
4.7 ★★★★★ 155 reviews
Nature conservation site with trails & native plants & animals in a variety of habitats.
Islay Hill Open Space
4.6 ★★★★★ 136 reviews
Popular park featuring hiking trails with scenic views, tennis courts, and a cow statue.
Terrace Hill Open Space
4.8 ★★★★★ 114 reviews
Hilltop park with a circuitous path, offering 360-degree views of the area - popular for sunsets.
Lemon Grove Loop Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 105 reviews
Mountain for hiking featuring a Christmas tree at its summit, plus views of the surrounding city.
Poly Canyon
4.8 ★★★★★ 61 reviews
On the Cal Poly campus, this hiking area features a variety of outdoor architectural structures.
Islay Hill Peak
4.7 ★★★★★ 55 reviews
Hiking area where the presence of cows is a common topic of conversation in reviews.
Johnson Ranch Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 50 reviews
Hiking haven for the family with several loops and some challenging terrain.
San Luis Obispo Creek Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
San Luis Drive Trail
4.9 ★★★★★ 8 reviews
Trail junction with Ocean View Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in San Luis Obispo
- Match the surface to your legs. San Luis Obispo gives you a choice: 5 natural surface and 1 paved. 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 natural surface 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.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in San Luis Obispo are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 9 of the 17 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. 8 have trailhead parking and 1 has restrooms in San Luis Obispo. 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, 3 with mile markers, 1 that runners describe as quiet, 8 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 San Luis Obispo trails by type
Running trails near San Luis Obispo
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.