The Stanford Dish run is one of the most popular and iconic runs in Silicon Valley. Accessible from the center of Palo Alto and the Stanford Campus, this is a great ~5 mile loop, featuring open pastureland, a small lake, great views of the Stanford Campus, and beautiful light, with the Stanford telescope that was built in 1966 always in view. It’s also hilly, with a 500-foot elev. gain. Good parking at Stanford Ave. & Juipero Serra Blvd. Our loop starts just outside the Stanford Campus in order to make it a 5-miler. If you’d like to run from the center of Palo Alto, start at the Caltrain station at the end of University Ave. It’s ~2 miles through the Stanford campus to the trailhead. You can add to this by running in and around Stanford University, or the residential areas of Palo Alto.
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Essentials
- 5.1 mile loop. If start from center of Palo Alto, adds an extra 2 miles
- 500 feet
- Bowdoin St. & Stanford Ave.
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Other Routes in Silicon Valley, CA
This is an overview of running in Silicon Valley, showing how we have laid out the region and providing some highlights as we move from San Francisco Airport to San Jose.
Worth a detour. Half Moon Bay is an idyllic coastal town about 20 min. off the highway. Home to Mavericks, the famous surfing beach. A 4+ mile coastal trail makes for a fantastic run, with great views to the beach, surf, and cliffs to the north. Cute town, too.
If you get stuck near SFO, don’t despair — there’s great running along the Bay. This spectacular running path follows the East Bay, from Brisbane north of SFO, south to San Mateo and beyond.
This is a great run easily accessible from the highway and only 7 miles south of SFO. There are jaunts out to a beach, a promenade through a lovely green park, and a quick hike up a hill with redwood trees and good views.
10+ miles of scenic running trails along the Bay and around Belmont Slough/Steinberger Slough in Redwood Shores. Wonderful open views of the bay and wetlands, and lots of birds! Can also connect to Bay Trail.
Centrally located park is a treat for running. Interior paths are hilly, winding through groves of trees and ranchland type terrain, while the outer perimeter trails form a flat, 2.3 mile loop around the Wildlife Refuge, skirting the salt marshes.
One of the most iconic university campuses in the world also makes for very pleasant running. Our 4.5 mile loop includes all the major campus highlights, with some great add-on options.
Palo Alto is the ‘center’ of Silicon Valley. A great run is to do a random tour of Palo Alto’s toniest residential streets, which feature gorgeous older homes, beautiful lawns, and lovely shade trees. Use University Ave. as the 'anchor'.
Three adjacent open space areas in Belmont, just east of I-280. Scenic, open, and hilly. Combination of fire roads and more challenging trails. There are map kiosks in each area.
In Redwood City near San Carlos just east of I-280, Pulgas Ridge and Edgewood Park & Preserve are adjacent to each other and offer several miles of scenic, hilly trail running. Combination of open & wooded terrain.
There is a wonderful series of parks, preserves, and running trail options in the hills close to Rt. 280: Rancho San Antonio, Sawyer Camp Recreational Trail, Huddart Park, Wunderlich Park, and more. Can be especially pretty in spring.
On the eastern shore between Palo Alto and San Jose, this remarkable series of trails and parks incorporates a series of undisturbed tidal marshland (Sloughs) called the Baylands. See our detailed description of the three major sections.
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