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Running trails in Sierra Madre, CA
Sierra Madre has 10 trails in the directory — 3 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 with a stated distance, 5 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 6 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 1,712 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 Wilson Trail Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 518 reviews
Picnicking, hiking, and a playground are offered at this spot with restrooms and views.
Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 435 reviews
Scenic park features hiking trails, interpretive signs, picnic spots & a native botanical area.
Mt. Wilson Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 284 reviews
Hiking trail with views and a cafe on top of Mount Wilson.
First Water, Mt. Wilson Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 171 reviews
Popular hiking area featuring waterfalls and a creek (and sometimes bears), with a trail park.
Sierra Vista Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 100 reviews
Park offering sports facilities such as tennis courts and a baseball field, plus a playground.
Jones Peak
4.7 ★★★★★ 80 reviews
Good for kids, this area is primarily categorized as a hiking spot.
Lizzie’s Trail Inn and The Richardson House
4.7 ★★★★★ 37 reviews
Bailey Canyon Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 18 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Sierra Madre
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is natural surface (3 of 10). 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? 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 Sierra Madre is Jones Peak at 1 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Sierra Madre are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 6 of the 10 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 1 has a water fountain in Sierra Madre. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, and 3 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 Sierra Madre trails by type
Running trails near Sierra Madre
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.