Running trails in Happy Valley, OR
Happy Valley has 7 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 1 boardwalk, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, and 1 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 2,952 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.
Happy Valley Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,978 reviews
Summer concerts lure locals to this green locale boasting multiple picnic shelters & sports spaces.
Hidden Falls Nature Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 410 reviews
Compact park featuring a paved pathway to a waterfall, plus a bridge for viewing.
Altamont Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 313 reviews
Kid-friendly green space equipped with swings and slides for children.
Mount Scott Nature Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 110 reviews
Park featuring kid-friendly hiking trails through forested hills.
Southern Lites Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 89 reviews
Creek-side neighborhood park (no longer with a playground) featuring a basketball court, a short trail and picnic tables.
Ella V Osterman Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 33 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Happy Valley
- Match the surface to your legs. Happy Valley gives you a choice: 2 paved, 1 crushed gravel, and 1 boardwalk. 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? 1 trail here is a loop, 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 Happy Valley is Hidden Falls Nature Park at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in Happy Valley is 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 7 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 Happy Valley. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 that runners describe as quiet, 4 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 Happy Valley trails by type
Running trails near Happy Valley
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.