San Bernardino National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,684 acres5 mi of trail
Dry Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Running Springs
31% of Running Springs’ land is conserved: 823 acres
5.0 miles of mapped trail cross Running Springs, 1.2 per square mile of land. 1 acre is park or preserve, 0.2 per 1,000 residents. 13% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #522 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
823 acres · of 4.2 sq mi of land
Trails
5.0 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1 ac
0.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
13%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Running Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Running Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Running Springs is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #522 of 847 in California. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Running Springs’ overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land0.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1 acre) · CA 5 · U.S. 13DParks close to home13% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 51%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 38%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is San Bernardino National Forest, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
823 conserved acres
31% of Running Springs’ land. Who manages Running Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service822 ac
Regional agency1 ac
National Forest · 822 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 822 | Open |
| Arrowbear Park Ball Field Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Running Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Running Springs
Firehouse PlaygroundIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Running Springs
Keller Peak Yellow Post #1In San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.8 mi
Dry Creek Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Running Springs: May to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 48 | 54 | 59 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 7.5 | 7.9 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 5.4 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 7.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Running Springs →
Questions about parks and trails in Running Springs
Where can I hike in Running Springs?
The longest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest, 5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Running Springs is conserved land?
31% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Running Springs’ trails?
San Bernardino National Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Running Springs?
128,371 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Running Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 402 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Running Springs have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #522 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Running Springs neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →