Davis, located 15 miles west of Sacramento, is known as the home of the University of California, Davis — a major research university. There are some nice running options in around the UC Davis Campus, including a 3-mile loop around its Arboretum, a running track, and some multi-use trails in east Davis. Davis is well-known for its bikeability. BONUS: it’s a 15-minute train ride between Sacramento and Davis.
Mrak Hall. Flickr: Peter Alfred Hess
UC Davis Campus & Arboretum Loop. The UC Davis campus is pleasant for running, with an extensive network of pedestrian paths between Russell Blvd. & Putah Creek. A highlight is the tree-lined path toward Mrak Hall & the Egghead. There’s also the Woody Wilson Running Track off Russell Blvd. The nicer residential streets in Old North Davis, especially C St. through F St., are also worth exploring.
Our favorite run in Davis is the 3-mile loop around the Arboretum. It’s an interpretive trail, with a great variety of trees and native plants & flowers. The paved trail follows both sides of Putah Creek.
East Davis Greenways Loop. This a series of paths crisscrossing the Eastern part of Davis. Includes Mace Ranch Park in the area of the Science Center, and a nice section around the beautiful Wildhorse Golf Club. There are also some attractive residential streets in the area. For a longer run, use the Willow Creek Connector Path, headed south, crossing I-10 and connecting to trails along Putah Creek and the UC Davis Campus.
Davis, located 15 miles west of Sacramento, is known as the home of the University of California, Davis — a major research university. There are some nice running options in around the UC Davis Campus, including a 3-mile loop around its Arboretum, a running track, and some multi-use trails in east Davis. Davis is well-known for its bikeability. BONUS: it’s a 15-minute train ride between Sacramento and Davis.
Mrak Hall. Flickr: Peter Alfred Hess
UC Davis Campus & Arboretum Loop. The UC Davis campus is pleasant for running, with an extensive network of pedestrian paths between Russell Blvd. & Putah Creek. A highlight is the tree-lined path toward Mrak Hall & the Egghead. There’s also the Woody Wilson Running Track off Russell Blvd. The nicer residential streets in Old North Davis, especially C St. through F St., are also worth exploring.
Our favorite run in Davis is the 3-mile loop around the Arboretum. It’s an interpretive trail, with a great variety of trees and native plants & flowers. The paved trail follows both sides of Putah Creek.
East Davis Greenways Loop. This a series of paths crisscrossing the Eastern part of Davis. Includes Mace Ranch Park in the area of the Science Center, and a nice section around the beautiful Wildhorse Golf Club. There are also some attractive residential streets in the area. For a longer run, use the Willow Creek Connector Path, headed south, crossing I-10 and connecting to trails along Putah Creek and the UC Davis Campus.
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Essentials
Arboretum Loop: 3 miles (5 km); East Davis Greenways Loop: 5.7 miles (9.1 km)
Fairly flat
Arboretum Loop & Campus: UC Davis Visitor Information Center; East Davis Greenways: Mace Ranch Park/Science Center
For UC Davis: Parking at Visitor Center. For East Davis Greenways: Park at Science Center. Also, it's a 15-minute train ride from Sacramento to Davis
A 'runseeing' tour of downtown Sacramento. The highlight is the run along Capitol Mall, with nice views of the Capitol. Other streets in the downtown area are pleasant for running -- tree-lined with nice homes. Also includes Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park.
Lovely park and neighborhood for running. We've mapped a 3.6 mile loop around the park, which features nice gardens, ball fields, a golf course, and the Zoo. Add on with the attractive neighborhood roads and Sacramento River Bike Trail.
Paved multi-use path along the east bank of the Sacramento River. It's 5 miles from Discovery Park south to the Pocket neighborhood along the levee, with some nice water views. There's also a trail on the west bank of the river. Good add-on options.
In the Pocket & Greenhaven areas south of downtown, a nice route that combines a 1 mile path along a canal with a 2.4 mile path through the Seymour Park green space. Can add with a 2.5 mile section of the Sacramento River Trail.
Newly opened in 2024, this rail-trail runs for 5 miles from near the Sacramento Zoo south toward Freeport. Some residential & business sections, and several parks. At the southern end is a nice 2.5 mile section of the Sacramento River Bike Trail.
Paved multi-use path that connects Downtown, Del Paso Heights, and Rio Linda over 10.6 miles. Combination of residential at the southern end, some historic neighborhoods, and more rural scenery alongside Dry Creek at the northern end.
The paved Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail follows the American River for 32 miles between Sacramento and Folsom Lake, featuring several riverfront parks. It's the anchor of running in the area. We've mapped the full trail and some good loop oprtions.
Nice running on the eastern section of the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail in Folsom. Full lake loop is 11.3 miles, passing through several parks & preserves. Lake views along about half of the route.
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Essentials
Arboretum Loop: 3 miles (5 km); East Davis Greenways Loop: 5.7 miles (9.1 km)
Fairly flat
Arboretum Loop & Campus: UC Davis Visitor Information Center; East Davis Greenways: Mace Ranch Park/Science Center
For UC Davis: Parking at Visitor Center. For East Davis Greenways: Park at Science Center. Also, it's a 15-minute train ride from Sacramento to Davis
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Share your feedback on this route and see that of other Great Runs users. Click on the image icon to upload a photo. And please let us know if there are notes or changes we should incorporate!