United States

San Jose, CA

The best places to run in San Jose and Silicon Valley

San Jose picSan 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)

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Some of our favorite runs in San Jose, CA

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Santa Cruz Running Options

San Jose, CA

Fantastic running options in this coastal city located 30 miles south of San Jose. Cliffside running trails, redwood forests, the gorgeous campus of UC Santa Cruz, a riverside path, and great beach running. Could runners ask for more?
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San Jose weather is fantastic. 300+ sunny days a year, and rarely too hot or humid. Note there can be a lot of variation in the weather within a small geography. Toward SFO and the east bay, the weather can be ‘San Francisco like’: chilly, windy, and foggy; whereas in the “interior” and further south toward San Jose it is warmer and sunnier. There is never snow and temps rarely fall below freezing. There can be stretches of rainy days in the winter, and hot days in the summer, especially inland. There are micro climates — it can be 20 degrees warmer just a few miles inland from the Bay.palo-alto

There are lots of hotels downtown and near the airport.

sv-hotel-map-mtn-view-to-san-jose

Athletic Performance. Close to downtown San Jose. Another location in Los Gatos. Group Run Schedule.

There are also some running stores north of San Jose. Heading north:

Campbell
Road Runner Sports. Off Rt. 17. Group Runs Tuesday evenings.
Running Revolution. Indy store off Rt. 17. A bit off the beaten track. Group Runs Mondays 6pm.

Palo Alto
Zombie Runner. Trail store & espresso bar. Off Rt. 82 near Stanford Univ. 

Looking for road or trail races in this area? Find them on RaceRaves, the best online race calendar and reviews community for runners!

Find races in San Jose, CA

San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon. Early October. Biggest race in San Jose.

Jungle Run Half Marathon & 10k. Los Gatos. July. Includes Creek Trail, Vasona Park

Color Me Rad San Jose. Unique 5k with color being rained down on you.