Run With Us · Lake Merritt Run Club
Weekly Trail Runs
Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings across the Bay Area — rotating trails, all paces, all abilities. Community-led, always welcoming.
Weekly trails · Sunday
Sunday Trail Run
Every Sunday morning, Lake Merritt Run Club members gather somewhere in the Bay Area hills to run trails together. The location rotates each week — announced on Slack and via email beforehand — keeping the runs fresh and helping you discover new corners of the Bay Area you might never have found on your own.
Run leaders within the Lake Merritt Run Club community take turns hosting, choosing routes and distance options for the group. All paces genuinely welcome — the trail community looks after its own. And yes — sometimes there are homemade baked goods at the finish.
Distance Options
Also on Thursdays
Poison Oak Trail Club
In addition to Sunday trails, many Lake Merritt Run Club members also run with the Poison Oak Trail Club (POTC) every Thursday evening. A community run connected to Lake Merritt Run Club’s trail running community — rotating East Bay locations, all are welcome.
Led by Matt Chan, POTC runs Joaquin Miller, Redwood Regional, Skyline Gate, and other East Bay trails for ~5–6 miles. Bring lights for evening runs and check Slack for weekly location updates.
What to expect
How Trail Runs Work
Location on Slack & email
Each week’s location and route options are posted in the #trail-running Slack channel and sent via email — with driving directions and Strava links.
Community-led runs
Run leaders from the Lake Merritt Run Club trail community take turns hosting each Sunday. They choose the location, plan the routes, and make sure everyone gets out and back safely.
Multiple distances
Every run offers multiple distance options — typically a short, mid, and long route — so everyone can participate regardless of fitness level.
Post-run community
The trail community takes care of each other. Expect socializing after the run — and occasionally homemade baked goods from the hosts.
Where we run
Bay Area Trail Locations
We rotate through trail parks across the Bay Area — from East Bay hills to Marin coastal trails. Here are some of our favorite spots.
Ready to Hit the Trails?
Sign up for weekly trail run notifications via trails@lakemerrittrunclub.org or join #trail-running on Slack