Stanford Dish Loop Trail is a 3.6 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Stanford, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
wheelchair friendly
kid friendly
stroller friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
road biking
trail running
walking
paved
views
wild flowers
wildlife
no shade
no dogs
The Stanford Dish loop is a popular route for Stanford University students as well as Silicon Valley professionals. The area is named after the large radio telescope that can not be missed. Its steep paved trail is suitable for running, walking, and hiking. Bicycles are not allowed. Opening hours vary depending on the month of the year: January 6:30 AM-5:30 PM February 6:30 AM-6 PM March 6 AM-6:30 PM April 6 AM-8 PM May 6 AM-8 PM June 6 AM-8 PM July 6 AM-8 PM August 6 AM-8 PM September 6:30 AM-7:30 PM October 6:30 AM-6:30 PM November 6:30 AM-5:30 PM December 6:30 AM-5:30 PM
Great trail for running/ hiking since it is paved. Relatively easy hike more than moderate. Great view at the top esp during sunset. Once you get to the top it’s relatively flat. Finding a parking is pretty hard esp in the afternoon. Did saw a tarantula a few times during my hike
A few very steep (but short) hills otherwise a nice rolling hike. Great views, completely in the sun, so wear sunscreen & bring a hat and your water! Paved trail, well maintained, great for strollers but NO dogs allowed. Parking can be a challenge esp in the mornings-8:00am-11:00am, so be patient.
nice view
Nice beginner hike. Can be completed in an hr and a half.
Ideal time would be October-April if coming from afar. It’s green and therefore full of oxygen. Remaining months are nice too, just not green — dry and golden instead.
Alex N.
tricky parking
"Due to Maintenance – Stanford Dish will be closed from July 28, 2018 to August 11, 2018."
check dish.stanford.edu
Nice paved trail for everyone. Short, some pretty steep parts but has great views of the bay. I could see the Dumbarton, San Mateo and can also make out the Bay Bridge, not to mention the outline of part of the SF city.
Tina S.
Drove to the Stanford Dish from the East Bay and found out it is closed until August 11th.
If you're used to wooded hikes on small trails, consider this a semi-urban novelty. Panoramic views over Stanford/Palo Alto and hills, enough rolling hills to get some exercise. If you do this on a hot day, bring plenty of water as the concrete path offers little shade.
Molly C.
Enjoyable morning on the trail! Loved the view along the entire hike, as well as seeing cows and turkeys! We started at the Stanford gate and leisurely did the whole loop in about and hour and 20 minutes.
Beautiful trail for an evening walk. Great view of Stanford Campus. Not too many trees. Well maintained.
I will start off by saying that this trail wasn't for me, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
Who this trail is for: the whole family (saw several groups of large families with children of all ages - even parents pushing strollers), track runners (solo or group), small groups looking to chit-chat while getting a bit of fresh air and exercise.
Who this trail isn't for: anyone looking for a bit of adventure, people looking to get out into nature (the paved path and tons of people kind of ruin the experience there).
The trail is rather easy, but it does have hills and areas of pretty decent incline/decline - this probably wouldn't be good for someone with bad knees. Other than that, it's pretty much all-ages. The path is wide and paved smooth. At the high points, there are pretty nice views (nothing exceptional or anything that will make you stop and say "wow", but this trail isn't really for the views). There isn't really any tree coverage, so take that into account during sunny/hot days. Also, the trail is marked "highly trafficked" for a reason - there are tons of people here.
The biggest thing this trail has going for it is location. If you're near Stanford, this is an easy place to get to that offers outdoor activity with minor exertion. There are several entrances, and while there is a decent amount of parking at them, they're often very full (as I said, lots of people).
A great trail for either an end of day walk or morning warm up. The cows were my personal favorite!
Short and sweet hike with greenery all around . Its an easy hike with not much elevation.
Great views of San Francisco and most of the Bay. Will be back again.
Julie S.
Beautiful views and smoothly paved.
marvelous place to walk, full sun
If you’re looking for a paved trail this is great. Beautiful views all around and good odds of seeing wildlife (deer, snakes, birds etc.), but very heavily trafficked so not as serene as other trails in the area. It makes for a nice but gentle workout and can be done in a little over an hour. The wide road makes it perfect for going with friends or family and chatting along the way.
This was a nice 3.7 mile hike on pavement up and down inclines. Very busy area for walkers and runners. Parking is hard to find and no Restrooms.
Parking is definitely an issue here but the trail is nice and well maintained
It’s a fairly easy walk with a paved walkway kid and wheelchair friendly.
Nice for a brisk walk with friends or alone.
The trails is easy with paved road and wheelchair accessibility. It has small elevation changes which gets your heart pumping. The valley views are simply gorgeous, especially with fall colors popping here and there. Great trail for a quick morning workout close to urban area.
Really beautiful views the whole hike. Nice and hilly but all on cement
It’s not a real hike.
Love, this trail. Closed to home and work. I feel safe and the view is gorgeous. First few times are the hardest after it can be done in a hour or less. Go there 3 days a week.
Absolutely amazing. Try going later, closer to sunset.
Great hike and safe to go solo.