San Jose is at the southern end of the Silicon Valley technology hub. It is a city in its own right, about 60 miles south of San Francisco. The downtown has a lovely historic district of late 1800s buildings. The area is surrounded by hills. Our guide to running in San Jose, California is a continuation of our major Silicon Valley running guide. The two running highlights are the Guadelupe River Trail, a 9 mile path from downtown to the Alviso trails near the water. It’s worth the 15 min. drive to Alviso Park for some wonderful Baylands Trails running. The Los Gatos Creek Trail starts just south of San Jose and heads toward Los Gatos. There are also several great running options south of San Jose: Hellyer Park & Coyote Creek Trail, The Los Gatos Damn Trail, Alum Rock Park, and Quicksilver Park. For some wonderful coastal running, head 30 miles south to Santa Cruz, where we’ve mapped wonderful routes by the ocean, along cliff-top meadows, and several trails through redwood forests.
If you are staying right in San Jose, you can live without a car but will be limited to the trails near downtown. To access the parks and trails south of the city, a car is needed or you could Uber it.
For additional running options, heading north, see Great Runs in Silicon Valley. Includes routes in Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and all the way to SFO. We’ve also got tons of coverage of San Francisco, the East Bay, and down south to Santa Cruz and Monterey/Carmel. Click on the boxes below!
Silicon Valley Santa Cruz Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur San Francisco East Bay (Oakland/Berkeley)
