Running in San Diego

Mission Trails Regional Park sits a few miles inland from the coast and covers thousands of acres of canyon and chaparral terrain, and it is anchored by Cowles Mountain, the highest point within San Diego's city limits at just over 1,500 feet. Local runners treat the climb to the summit as one of the city's classic sunrise workouts, following a well worn dirt trail that switchbacks up through native scrub to a peak with sweeping views across the city and out toward the coastline on clear mornings. The main trailhead lot fills early on weekends, so plenty of runners start before dawn just to find parking and beat the heat on the exposed upper switchbacks. Because the summit trail is short but steep, many runners use it as a dedicated hill repeat workout, climbing to the top and back down two or three times in a single session.

Beyond the Cowles Mountain climb, Mission Trails offers gentler options along the San Diego River and near Lake Murray, giving runners a way to pair a hard uphill effort with an easier loop to cool down afterward. The park's visitor center marks the start of several connecting trails, so runners can adjust distance and difficulty depending on how much climbing they want that day. Because the park sits inland, temperatures run noticeably warmer than the coast, which makes early starts especially important once summer arrives. For visiting runners staying near downtown or Mission Valley, Mission Trails is a short drive away but feels far removed from the beach boardwalks that define most of San Diego's running reputation.

On the western edge of the Point Loma peninsula, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park runs along a stretch of sandstone bluffs above the Pacific, and it is one of the most photographed pieces of coastline in San Diego. A mix of paved path and dirt singletrack traces the clifftop for a mile or more, connecting to the Ocean Beach neighborhood at the north end, which makes it easy to extend a run onto the boardwalk or through Ocean Beach's low key business strip. The unobstructed ocean views and the sound of waves against the rocks below make it a favorite spot for an evening run timed to finish around sunset. Because the cliffs themselves are actively eroding, runners are expected to stay on marked paths rather than venture onto the rock ledges below.

Sunset Cliffs is a different kind of running than the flat boardwalks at Mission Bay or Pacific Beach, since the trail runs directly along an eroding cliff edge with narrow, sometimes uneven footing in spots. Locals often pair a Sunset Cliffs run with a stop above one of the surf breaks below, where surfers paddle out even on rough days, adding to the scenery without ever leaving the trail. The area gets crowded at sunset with both runners and photographers, so a slower pace is normal in the final half hour of daylight. For runners looking for a shorter, view heavy add-on to a longer coastal run, Sunset Cliffs packs some of the most dramatic scenery in the city into a small area.