Bay Area Long Run Routes?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi, I’ve got a 17 mile run on my schedule this weekend and am desperate for somewhere new to run. I live in Dublin but will travel anywhere within an hour or so to run. I would prefer a bike path type run, but sidewalks are allright. Not a fan of shoulder-of-the-road runs. Trail runs are probably not right for me now, but I’m doing a trail marathon later this year, so feel free to throw those out there too! I’m thinking 15+ miles but I would do a couple loops if it wasn’t too mind-numbing.

Before you think this is an easy question, I gotta say that I make seeking out new running routes a part-time job (don’t tell my employer) and I really think I’ve exhausted ALL my options. I’m training for my 6th marathon and have a dozen or so runs that I do every training cycle. Here’s my list, please let me know if I’m missing anything! Also, feel free to recommend good breakfast spots, as omelets and cinnamon rolls are often the highlight of my long morning.

Even if I don’t get any new ideas here, maybe others will get ideas from me! :slight_smile: Feel free to ask for more info on these routes:

Lafayette Moraga Trail
San Francisco: Golden Gate Park + Great Highway + Lake Merced
San Francisco: Embarcadero to Golden Gate Bridge
Coyote Hills and surrounding shoreline
Alameda Creek Trail
Los Gatos Creek Trail
Crystal Springs (Sawyer Camp Trail)
Tiburon Peninsula/Paradise Drive
Walnut Creek: Contra Costa Canal Trail loop
Iron Horse Trail: Dublin to Walnut Creek
Stanford Hills (Sand Hill, Portola Rd, shoulder only)

Thanks in advance-

Jen

2

I live in Dublin too:

A couple of the long runs I do are: I run down Foothill to Sunol, and then come back on the frontage road. Not much traffic, lots of places with water. Or, you can run down Foothill, up Golden Eagle to the trails, run the length of Pleasanton Ridge, and come down the Pleasanton Ridge parking lot and back. Or, you can bike path hop through Pleasanton all the way to Livermore if you want a really flat run.

3

How about Coyote Creek Parkway in south San Jose? No bathrooms or water but it’s a paved trail.
http://www.sccgov.org/SCC/docs%2FParks%20and%20Recreation%2C%20Department%20of%20(DEP)%2Fattachments%2F159784coyote_trail.pdf

4

Harbor Bay in Alameda. There is a 5.8mi loop around the Island (really a peninsula). I do sometimes go to the Oakland airport and then do a loop for about 13mi, but the scenery is nice (Golf Course, SF Bay waters, tip of Oakland Estuary sp?). There is a parking lot at the Harbor Bay Ferry landing with a bathroom and a water fountain. You could also run all the way to Crown Beach and back or throw in a loop with that for some insane (in my book) mileage. This just for starters.

Parking lot coordinates are:

37°44’12.01"N
122°15’24.14"W

5

Try Stevens Creek Trail to Shoreline Park in Mountain View. Start at the trailhead at Yuba Drive, right by El Camino and 85. Then:

5 miles to Shoreline Park, all trail with 2 faucets on the way
1 mile through the park along the shore
3 miles of gravel-topped levee across some wide open salt ponds to Bixbee Park in Palo Alto - water there
Go down Embarcadero Road, then right on Faber, and back onto trail - maybe a mile.
2 miles parallel to 101 on a trail beside the frontage road, then right back into Shoreline Park
1 mile back through the park past the lake - water at the clubhouse on the lake.
5 miles back up the trail to Yuba Drive.

18 total, all pretty flat, and fairly scenic. Did this more times than I care to remember whilst prepping for CIM last year. If you get out before 8am, you’ll have it all largely to yourself, too.

6

This was my route on a visit to San Francisco last year. Not the most “creative” route, but maybe it’ll give you an idea. Good luck

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=977866

7

I’ve run most of the routes that you mention, but much prefer this one:

San Leandro Marina - directions:
http://www.sanleandromarinainn.com/area_map.htm
(follow the road till it ends at the last parking lot; and run southwards from there)

Just run south from there along the shoreline. It is paved for about 2.5 miles (with a dirt shoulder) but then becomes a wide dirt/gravel path. Stay to the right at all intersections, to stay along the water (the Bay) where possible. You’ll be running through restored marshlands; you’ll find tremendous bird life, tidal action, rustic wooden bridges, etc. It’s perfectly flat and the footing is very stable, not sandy or muddy (certainly no need for trail running shoes).

After ~7.5 miles you’ll come to trail’s end at the Hayward Interpretive Center. (In fact, you can just park/start at that center if it’s closer to Dublin. It’s at the foot of the San Mateo Bridge.) Turn around and run back.

There are other wide dirt paths that meander off in other directions, if you would like to explore and extend your run.

8

You might try using the trail network database on www.motionbased.com (do a filter search with San Francisco). Lots and lots of routes mapped!

9

How about Coyote Creek Parkway in south San Jose?
**
Living in Morgan Hill, I bike and/or run that trail almost daily. There are drinking fountains and bathrooms at (from south to north):

  • The southern trail head off Malaguera Ave in Morgan Hill.
  • The model airplane park.
  • Metcalf Park just north of Metcalf Rd. (And Metcalf Road itself is a killer climb up to the motorcycle park, also with water/bathrooms.)
  • The Silver Creek Blvd crossing.
  • Hellyer Park.
  • The library at Tully Road.

The biking is nice because a) the surface is smooth pavement as opposed to the chip seal that is found on most of the roads down here, and b) except for sunny weekend afternoons the trail is usually pretty empty. On today’s ride I saw maybe one dog walker and a couple of other bikers. Contrast that with the Los Gatos Creek trail which is usually wall-to-wall joggers, walkers, baby strollers, etc.

As for running, most of the southern part of the trial has a nice dirt shoulder which is easy on the joints.

Just my $0.02.

Dan

10

a great resource I just discovered for cycling and running routes/loops

www.mapmyrun.com
.

11

This is one of my favorite runs but you’ll need some help because it’s a point to point…or you could turn around half way.

Skyline to the Sea Trail that starts at the corner of Hwy 9 out of Saratoga and Summit Road (Hwy 35). Take the trail all the way to the Big Basin Park HQ. It’s 17 miles of beautiful trail, with some tough uphills and tough downhills but it is one of the most beautiful runs around and it’s on soft trails so you don’t beat yourself up too bad. If you do it alone, turn around at Waterman Gap camp and head back up the hill, although it’s only 15 miles if you do it that way.

12

Thanks for all the great ideas!

I ended up running the Hayward-to-San Leandro Shoreline route. I did the 17 miles total, but the run was closer to 16, had to circle around at the end to hit 17 (that’s always fun). The route was easy to follow, there were a couple intersections, but I remembered to stay towards the bay and I was fine. Here’s a couple pictures:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_xvUs82ElPbI/R-ghSDbkNzI/AAAAAAAABDg/H1FepZVHjqM/s320/Hayward5+3+22+08.jpg

http://bp1.blogger.com/_xvUs82ElPbI/R-gg2zbkNxI/AAAAAAAABDQ/d2tcqyGe-3E/s320/Hayward2+3+22+08.jpg

I made a note of the other suggested routes and will be checking them out in the future. Since I’m bumping this, if anyone wants to add any new ideas please do! Thanks again!

Jen

13

Near the small area known as Ladera, on Alpine Rd., begins a dirt running path on the south side of the road that heads west up to Portola Rd. (it may even go further). You are pretty well separated from the road. Then you get on Portola Rd. and I believe that you can actually run along a trail on the east side of Portola Rd. all the way to Mountain Home Rd. and then it continues over the hill to Roberts Market in Woodside, a major cyclist rendezvous location. I’m not sure if this trail is entirely contiguous, but these two communities of Woodside and Portola valley are pretty runner-friendly, as well as horse-friendly.

If you can get yourself to Huddert Park in Woodside (might be a trail going from Roberts Market to here, not sure), then you can pick up the Crystal Springs trail which goes through some backcountry and at some point (at the northern city limits sign for Woodside) it parallels highway 280, and you can pretty much run this trail for awhile as it parallels 280 and Canada Rd and you can get all the way to the Sawyer Camp trail, which you have done before. You can easily come up with a 15-miler with some kind of out-and-back.

14

Was the tide going in or out when you ran?

I always love to watch the tides (and the birds) as I run that route.

15

Hi, I’ve got a 17 mile run on my schedule this weekend and am desperate for somewhere new to run. I live in Dublin but will travel anywhere within an hour or so to run. I would prefer a bike path type run, but sidewalks are allright. Not a fan of shoulder-of-the-road runs. Trail runs are probably not right for me now, but I’m doing a trail marathon later this year, so feel free to throw those out there too! I’m thinking 15+ miles but I would do a couple loops if it wasn’t too mind-numbing.

Before you think this is an easy question, I gotta say that I make seeking out new running routes a part-time job (don’t tell my employer) and I really think I’ve exhausted ALL my options. I’m training for my 6th marathon and have a dozen or so runs that I do every training cycle. Here’s my list, please let me know if I’m missing anything! Also, feel free to recommend good breakfast spots, as omelets and cinnamon rolls are often the highlight of my long morning.

Even if I don’t get any new ideas here, maybe others will get ideas from me! :slight_smile: Feel free to ask for more info on these routes:

Lafayette Moraga Trail
San Francisco: Golden Gate Park + Great Highway + Lake Merced
San Francisco: Embarcadero to Golden Gate Bridge
Coyote Hills and surrounding shoreline
Alameda Creek Trail
Los Gatos Creek Trail
Crystal Springs (Sawyer Camp Trail)
Tiburon Peninsula/Paradise Drive
Walnut Creek: Contra Costa Canal Trail loop
Iron Horse Trail: Dublin to Walnut Creek
Stanford Hills (Sand Hill, Portola Rd, shoulder only)

Thanks in advance-

Jen

Dublin? I thought you said Bay Area? :wink:

I can vouch for Paradise Dr. It’s one of my favorite routes because it has a variety of terrain.

Sounds complicated, but it isn’t – you literally can’t get lost, just follow intuition and stay along the bay the whole way.

Park at Blackie’s Pasture in Tiburon. Run east, up Trestle Glen (takes you away from the bay). Go right at Paradise Dr. Run on the LEFT side of the road. Follow that around to the end in Tiburon (beautiful views of the inner bay along the way, and Angel Island when you 'round the peninsula). Stay on the left side of the road and you curve back toward where you started, but make a left on the first street, the touristy one. Stay to the left at the next T intersection. Stay left again when you have to choose between right or left. This road will wind up the hill to Belvedere. Stay to the left, until you reach the only road that intersects from the left (could be mistaken for a driveway). It’s very steep. Can’t miss it. Turn left at the bottom, as it turns into a walking path and go down. You can only go right. You are now at sea level. Stay on that road, stay to the left at every opportunity. You will end up on the bike path along the bay that plugs back into Blackie’s Pasture. That’s 11 miles. Do an out/back along the path (it’s 2.5 miles exactly back to downtown Tiburon) to get more miles.

Or if you want 17 miles, do the above but don’t take that left at the touristy street in Tiburon and just run along the road until you hit the bike path, and back to Blackie’s, which is 8.5 miles or so. Do two loops!

Best breakfast anywhere in downtown Tib. Good Morning Cafe or something like that. Right at the main corner. Order the Petaluma omelet or Kristen Cakes, and you will not be disappointed.

16

Here’s a simple one: Park anywhere near the beginning of Silverado Trail in Napa. Run past wineries for x miles. Turn around. The shoulders are nice and wide, but I’d recommend running against traffic.

If you’re not an out and back person, there are any number of routes through the wineries around Napa, Yountville, and St. Helena. Other than some parts of highway 29, most of the roads around that area are great for running.

17

Not to hijack the thread, but Marty, what are you doing in Stuttgart? I graduated from Patch High School in Stuttgart in 1984. It’s not every day you run into someone who knows where Stuttgart is.

18

Well my wife received orders to DISA Europe here (she’s active duty Navy) 3 years ago, and we’re still here. I’m working for the Army now in Sports and Fitness and she is retiring and working for NATO at EUCOM. Patch High is still going strong! I’m sure you wouldn’t recognize it here – lots of change, just a handful of bases compared to the mid-80s from what I hear. Life is good though and the triathlons and bike riding is pretty good. Although as I write this, there’s 3 inches of snow on Husky field and it’s still coming down…
By the way, you mention Stuttgart – I was doing a Google search yesterday and discovered that there is a Stuttgart ARKANSAS! Pretty funny. First mayor of the town was from Baden-Wurtemburg…

19

It was low tide but the tide was coming in on my way back. There were a ton of cool birds and several rabbits and squirrels too. I actually had a stand off with a goose, I really thought he wasn’t going to let me by! He finally flew away, thankfully. :slight_smile:

20

There are some great trail runs in the Bay Area – with good breakfast options nearby too :slight_smile:

  • Rancho San Antonio - then Hobees in Cupertino (Stevens Creek/85)
  • Huddart Park - Bucks in Woodside
  • Canada Rd - Bucks
  • Skyline/Russian Ridge
  • Lake Chabot
  • many more great options… can visit www.pctrailruns.com for their events too