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Running trails in South Pasadena, CA
South Pasadena has 6 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 4 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 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 1,807 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.
Garfield Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,305 reviews
A city park space with tennis courts, a looped path, a playground & meditative garden space.
Arroyo Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 270 reviews
Parks with fields for baseball and soccer, plus playgrounds for kids.
Arroyo Seco Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 123 reviews
Park with shady areas, plus a mini-golf course, a soccer field and walking trails.
South Pasadena Nature Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 77 reviews
Easy-to-access park with a stone circle, a labyrinth and wildflower displays, plus a hiking trail.
Arroyo Seco Bike Path
3.9 ★★★★☆ 17 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in South Pasadena
- Match the surface to your legs. Most of what's here is paved (1 of 6). 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? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in South Pasadena are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 5 of the 6 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 3 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in South Pasadena. 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 that runners describe as quiet, and 1 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 South Pasadena trails by type
Running trails near South Pasadena
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.