The heart of the Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, has a great variety of trails for walking or running that are long enough to challenge but short enough to tackle before, during or after work.
Palo Alto Running Trail Options
The iconic Dish is a well known landmark and a frequented hot spot for runners and walkers. The loop is around 3.5 miles and of moderate difficulty. There are some mild hills, a mixture of paved and unpaved trails, not a lot of shade cover, but great views of Stanford and the Bay from the top.
Baylands
Baylands Nature Preserve is a flatter than Stanford Dish, around 5 miles at the shortest with mixed trails of gravel, dirt and asphalt to run on. Lots of birds make the trip a pleasure.
Arastradero and Foothill Parks
There is a great network of routes you can choose from and mix together to form around 2.25 miles of trails.
All of these trails are a 5 minute drive from most offices, and there are a load of campus options around Stanford, too. There really is no excuse for not getting out and keeping active in the Bay area.