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Running trails in University Place, WA
University Place has 6 trails in the directory — 2 paved, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 4 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 3,552 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.
Chambers Creek Regional Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,973 reviews
Expansive grassy park with playground equipment and picnic tables, plus an off-leash dog park.
Chambers Bay Loop Trail Head
4.8 ★★★★★ 831 reviews
Hike-friendly site for families, solo adventurers and pooches, featuring a sandy beach and a park.
Cirque Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 356 reviews
Recreational 27-acre park with softball fields, a skateboard park, a playground & Mt. Rainier views.
Upper Chambers Creek Canyon Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 211 reviews
Park-like hiking area with a creek, old-growth forests and a footbridge across a river and fording logs.
Homestead Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 169 reviews
Park with a rhododendron garden, a playground, and picnic tables, plus benches and paths.
Colegate Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 12 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in University Place
- Match the surface to your legs. University Place gives you a choice: 2 paved 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 paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 2 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. The longest stated distance in University Place is Chambers Bay Loop Trail Head at 4 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in University Place is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 4 of the 6 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in University Place. 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, 4 that runners describe as quiet, 3 dog-friendly, and 2 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 University Place trails by type
Running trails near University Place
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.