Silicon Valley Running Overview Guide

Since Silicon Valley is a region and not a city, we’ve laid out this guide in a different way. Starting at San Francisco Airport, we head south along the 101 to San Jose, pointing out the best runs in the cities along the way. East of the 101, the best runs center on the Bay are more water-centric, incorporating the Bay Trail closer to SFO and the Baylands areas from Palo Alto to San Jose. West of the 101, and near I-280 is more focused on parks, hills and trail running. We’ve focused on runs near major corporate HQ and hotels — where travelers to Silicon Valley will end up — plus some ‘destination’ runs if you have time and a car. Palo Alto, the ‘heart’ of Silicon Valley, is also the location of some of the best and most accessible running in the area.

The general organization, where possible, is north to south, using I-101 as the anchor.

San Francisco to Palo Alto: Key Routes (Red Dots Are Hotels)

Palo Alto to San Jose Key Routes (Red Dots Are Hotels)

The routes are organized as follows:

Some of the Iconic Routes: SF Bay Trail, and favorite routes around Palo Alto and Stanford

Hill Trails and Preserves Near I-280: These are parks and preserves. Need a car to get there but these are the ones that are iconic and close to highway and major centers.

Baylands Trails: Highlights of the bay trails and slough trails east of the 101, near a lot of hotels and corporate HQ

San Jose Area:  The best running in the San Jose area, plus a few further south.