2026 Cardinal Walk

The Cardinal Walk is back for its 19th year, continuing a time-honored Stanford tradition. Hosted by BeWell, this year’s Walk invites you to SPRING INTO WELLNESS. Get together with your colleagues, enjoy the outdoors, and prioritize your well-being. It’s a great way to celebrate spring, the season of renewal.

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT
NEW Location: The on-site walk starts and ends at the Cobb Track and Angell Field. You can also organize or join a remote Walk where you live.

What’s new for the 2026 Walk

This year’s theme is “Spring into wellness.” We won’t have a T-shirt giveaway, so we invite you to don a vintage Cardinal Walk T-shirt from a previous year. If you don’t have one, just wear your favorite spring colors.

The Cardinal Walk activities, including the traditional one-mile walk, will start at Cobb Track and Angell Field. From there, walkers will circle Stanford Stadium and return to where they started. See the route map.

More fun... 

• Grab a BeWell drawstring bag (while supplies last)
• Meet the BeWell staff and participate in a trivia activity to win a special giveaway
• Get creative with our community art project
• Join the dance-off competition – sign up to enter
• Get moving with a fitness warm-up, including a seated option
• Interact with adorable animals courtesy of Pet Partners
• Play a lawn game (cornhole, giant Connect Four, etc.)
• Support National Volunteer Month by making a virtual sock donation
• Get a temporary BeWell tattoo
• Enjoy a healthy snack and get hydrated for your walk
• After the walk, enjoy Kona Ice, kindly provided by Stanford Credit Union
• Reflect on how good it feels to focus on your well-being and commit to prioritizing your health throughout the year ahead!

What to wear and bring

• Wear comfortable walking shoes if you plan to walk and/or dance.
• Bring your own water bottle to help reduce waste. There will be water stations throughout the event.
• Bring a snack. Light refreshments will be provided, but you may still get hungry.
• Come prepared with a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, or anything else you need to feel comfortable outdoors.
• Don a vintage Cardinal Walk T-shirt from past years or your favorite spring colors.

Transportation

Employees not working on the Stanford campus can take advantage of free, wheelchair-accessible shuttles to and from the event. Shuttles will be available from Stanford Redwood City (SRWC), SLAC, and Stanford Research Park. Check the shuttle schedules to plan your trip and ensure you don’t miss out on the festivities.

View the pick-up and drop-off schedule

Accessibility

To ensure that everyone can participate fully, we’ve organized this event with accessibility in mind. If you would like to request an accommodation, please contact Disability Access, who will follow up with BeWell.

Learn more about how you can take part

Earn BeWell incentive points

Watch your points add up through the Cardinal Walk when you…

• Participate in the Walk — Join the onsite walk, a remote event, or walk on your own – and earn 500 BeWell incentive points. To claim your points,  sign in to your BeWell account after the event, navigate to Rewards>>Survey>>Cardinal Walk, and complete the survey by May 7 to claim your points.
• Donate to our virtual sock drive — Help someone in our community and earn 500 points too. See how to donate. 

Prize raffle

Get raffle tickets for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

• Complete a BeWell trivia worksheet, available at any BeWell table at the live event.
• Donate to our virtual sock drive – Get details on the drive and other ways to give back at this year’s walk.
• Post a photo from a remote walk event – Share a photo from any remote Cardinal Walk on the #cop-remote-workers Slack channel.

Raffle winners will be selected at random in a drawing and will be notified by email within a week of the event. (Gift cards are taxable.)