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 Where's your most favorite place to run?
mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:08 pm 

Have you gone out of town and found a great place/route to run; a place you wish you could run all the time? Let the rest of us know in case we're ever in the area.

Our family usually spends 1-2 weeks vacationing in Maine every summer. My in-laws have a summer house about 20 milesfrom Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I LOVE to run on the carriage trails in Acadia. They're a bit hilly in many places but wide (average about 10 ft. wide) and soft (crushed rock and sand...kind of like a cinder track). There is a series of carriage trails all linked to one another and so there's nearly an unlimited combination of loops you can run. There are numerous access points and so you can spend weeks running every day and never have to cover the exact same route in the exact same way. And the scenary is wonderful. In some higher elevations where the trees thin out and you can look out over Frechman's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Each loop is named and well marked (numbered posts at each intersection). Most entrances have maps you can review with the milage marked for each leg (from post to post). Paper maps are also available that you can take with you and plan your route ahead of time (i.e. start at post 6 and turn right at post 7, turn right at post 8, turn right at post 9 and end up back at post 6).

I hate that I only have two weeks each year to explore the trail. I've been running the trails for the last four summers and I have yet to cover all of the loops. If you ever find yourself visiting near Bar Harbor you have to treat yourself to a long run along the carriage trails. The trail's plenty wide enough for a family member (or group) to bike along side. They can enjoy the scenery too while also carrying your energy drink.

This link shows an image of my favorite starting point for a 6 mile loop (or two) around Eagle Lake. A link to a map of the trails is also provided.
http://www.nps.gov/acad/exploring.htm#Biking


OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:23 am 

Acadia sounds wonderful. I've always heard that its gorgeous, but have never had an opportunity to go there.

As for me, I always think back to all the great running trails there were around my college, Hamilton College near Utica, NY. Soft, even trails that wound through the woods alongside some beautiful glens. Of course, I didn't run as often or as far back then, and I suspect that I'd find myself dissappointed by how short the trails actually were if I ever went back to run them again. Maybe it's best just to keep them as memories...


sfird
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Long Island, NY
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Posts: 80

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:24 am 

Last year I visited Vancouver and ran in Stanley Park. There was a bike trail along the water. Great views, relatively flat, nice breeze and good looking women. What more can you ask for.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:08 pm 

That photo does look very pretty. I visited Acadia once about 10 years ago, but I wasn't a runner then, and didn't try any of those trails.

I honestly can't think of any especially great runs I've found away from home. Mostly that's because I don't travel too much, and I don't run much when I am traveling. I think the most beautiful place I've ever been running is the trails along the ridge of the coastal range on the San Francisco peninsula. They roll through alternating grassy meadows and cool forests, with dramatic views on both sides of the ridge. On a clear day you can see the Pacific on one side and the Bay on the other from the same spot. The trails are pretty hilly and a bit of a drive to reach, though, so I don't go there often.


psulli
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Vancouver, BC
Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 21

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 3:03 pm 

This seems like a good one to jump back in -- I've been away in Puerto Vallarta where the running is great if you don't mind fighting with the buses and the taxis on highway 200. Also the beach at Bucerias is long enough to run on. The people are friendly and they think gringo runners are hilarious.

Sfird, the Stanley Park Seawall is both a bike path and a pedestrian path, with a lane for each. It winds around the outer circumference of the park, which is 1100 acres. It's almost exactly 10K (5.9 miles), if you connect across a short land bridge next to Lost lagoon. Next time you're in town, try the trails inside the park for that rain forest experience.

My favorite place to run is Cannon Beach Oregon, off the 101. It's about 9 miles, I think (there's must be someone from the area who will verify), from one end to the other. The sand is perfect for running, especially when the tide is out, and the Haystack monoliths add a majesty to sun and surf and sky that really gets me flying.


allen

Utah
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 27

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 7:12 am 

I lived in Massachusetts for 17 years and have visited and run in Acadia. Anywhere in New England is beautiful. The back roads of New England are my favorite spots. Now, I'm in Utah. In order to get away from the city streets & traffic, I run along the canal roads. Still lots of houses, but no cars. In the spring I see ducklings, and in the fall I see Canadian geese foraging in the fields. Twice in Massachusetts and once in Utah I saw a Golden eagle. That was exciting!

Minnow


Joined: 20 Jan 2005
Posts: 19

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:41 pm 

I used to run to a place called the Cataract Gorge in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It was about 30min from where i lived, but on a long run just running through there would refresh me for my return journey home. If you are ever in Tasmania i suggest you check it out. Here are some pictures if you are interested:

http://www.webshots.com/search?query=cataract+gorge&tab=photos


Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:32 pm 

Nice photos, very pretty. It must be great to have such a nice running location close to home.

Jsphsl4204


Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 22

Re: Where's your most favorite place to run? Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 8:21 pm 

Acadia really does sound awesome, it would be nice to see it one day...

As for me, in the relatively small city of Columbus, we have a park, called Flat Rock Park, and it has a 2 mile paved trail through it, though it also has an aunpaved biking / hiking trail within it, and, if you break off, and then return to the trail at it's ending point, you've run exactly 3.2 miles... It's absolutely beatiful scenery, and it's often used for cross-country events at the local high schools, and, our college, Columbus State University...


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