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On Saturday, I decided to go for a trail run, so I drove to Elk Meadow Park which is located north of Evergreen, CO; and was about a 30 minute drive. The park is 1657 acres with 13 miles of trail.
The west side of the park is lined with low hills covered in Douglas Fur trees that provide flickering sunlight to pass through to the ground. Running in this section is quite enjoyable, except that you should wear high contrast sunglasses or you may not see the various rocks and roots that jut out from the trail.
The park's namesake lies to the east; a large, grassy meadow that is a lake of green in spring and summer. Running in this section is pleasant enough, but exposed; so it is best to arrive early in the morning to avoid the full force of the sun and heat.
I ran a loop route consisting of the following trails, Meadowview to Painters Pause to Sleepy S. The loop is approximately 5.6 miles. The 1st mile is a 300 foot climb; you should start slow to get a rhythm and to avoid spiking into anaerobic exertion. The 2nd mile is up and down but overall is another 120 foot climb. Miles 2-4 are an energetic 500 foot decent. For those that have trouble on downhill (myself included) this is a good trail for downhill training. At mile 4.1, you start the 300 foot climb back to the starting point. It is this final climb that really makes this run challenging, after trashing your legs on the 500 foot descent, the transition back to uphill is maddening.
Cons: Meadowview is a busy park. Even early in the morning you will run into other runners, hikers, and mountain bikers; and the east side of the park is bordered by Hwy 74. Thus, as you run along Painters Pause trail, you are only a couple hundred yards from the Hwy. So, you don't get that "isolated" feeling that many seek for trail running.
Overall, the park is a nice retreat from Denver, and provides both intermediate and advanced difficulty runs. If you want more challenge, you can run the Bergen Peak trail which will give you 1700 ft of elevation gain (ouch) in 3.7 miles.
The west side of the park is lined with low hills covered in Douglas Fur trees that provide flickering sunlight to pass through to the ground. Running in this section is quite enjoyable, except that you should wear high contrast sunglasses or you may not see the various rocks and roots that jut out from the trail.
The park's namesake lies to the east; a large, grassy meadow that is a lake of green in spring and summer. Running in this section is pleasant enough, but exposed; so it is best to arrive early in the morning to avoid the full force of the sun and heat.
I ran a loop route consisting of the following trails, Meadowview to Painters Pause to Sleepy S. The loop is approximately 5.6 miles. The 1st mile is a 300 foot climb; you should start slow to get a rhythm and to avoid spiking into anaerobic exertion. The 2nd mile is up and down but overall is another 120 foot climb. Miles 2-4 are an energetic 500 foot decent. For those that have trouble on downhill (myself included) this is a good trail for downhill training. At mile 4.1, you start the 300 foot climb back to the starting point. It is this final climb that really makes this run challenging, after trashing your legs on the 500 foot descent, the transition back to uphill is maddening.
Cons: Meadowview is a busy park. Even early in the morning you will run into other runners, hikers, and mountain bikers; and the east side of the park is bordered by Hwy 74. Thus, as you run along Painters Pause trail, you are only a couple hundred yards from the Hwy. So, you don't get that "isolated" feeling that many seek for trail running.
Overall, the park is a nice retreat from Denver, and provides both intermediate and advanced difficulty runs. If you want more challenge, you can run the Bergen Peak trail which will give you 1700 ft of elevation gain (ouch) in 3.7 miles.
2 comments:
Did all my talk of trail running inspire you perhaps? To me, there's no comparison--trail running is far superior to asphalt.
To some degree yes, but also, living in CO, there is far more opportunity for trail running than in Vegas.
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