Northern California Running Trails

Some locals offer their favorites:

• Eagle Point to D.L. Bliss State Park via the Rubicon Trail.
  
• Big Slide/West Ridge loop in Nisene Marks State Park, Aptos.
• UC Santa Cruz/Pogonip Preserve trails in Santa Cruz
• Truckee River Legacy Trail / Martis Valley / Dry Lake
• Purisima Creek Loop, located in the Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve, San Mateo County.
• Any section of the Diablo 50-Mile course, but one of our favorite sections is from Mitchell Canyon gate over Eagle Peak to the summit of Mt. Diablo.
• Any of the single-track trails around Auburn, but one of my favorite sections is from our home in downtown Auburn to the fire station in Cool on the Western States Trail.
• Ohlone Wilderness Trail, Alameda County. It starts from Mission Peak in Fremont and weaves for 28 miles through the Sunol Regional Wilderness to Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore. I run a solo 100-mile training run on it every May. I finish off my journey with an official race called the Ohlone 50k, from Mission Peak to Del Valle. In the Sierra, I love doing repeats up and down Half Dome starting from Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. Steep single-track granite trails with the most spectacular views.

http://www.adventuresportsjournal.com/html/Articles/36/36_trailRunning.htm