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Running trails in San Mateo, CA
San Mateo has 9 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. Every one post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 5,451 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.
San Mateo Central Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,187 reviews
Vibrant, 16-acre park featuring Japanese gardens, a mini train ride, playground & ice-skating rink.
Coyote Point Recreation Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,211 reviews
Bayside park offering a sizable playground with 6 slides, as well as trails & picnic areas.
Laurelwood Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 815 reviews
The city's largest park (225 acres) offers trails leading to Sugarloaf Mountain & scenic picnicking.
Ryder Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 549 reviews
Neighborhood park with striking, modern picnic pavilions, BBQs, a playground & seasonal splash pad.
Bay Meadows Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 306 reviews
Recreational area on 12 acres includes a baseball diamond, lawn-bowling green, public garden & more.
Harborview Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 241 reviews
Open city park with shaded picnic areas, views over the bay & a half basketball court.
Gateway Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 79 reviews
Park featuring a playground and a creek that’s home to resident ducks.
Seal Point
4.4 ★★★★☆ 52 reviews
Park offering multiple paths, bay views, and birdwatching opportunities.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in San Mateo
- Match the surface to your legs. San Mateo gives you a choice: 2 boardwalk, 1 paved, 1 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 boardwalk trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in San Mateo is Laurelwood Park at 1 mi.
- 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. 9 of the 9 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in San Mateo. 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 and 8 dog-friendly. 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 Mateo trails by type
Running trails near San Mateo
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.