Way Too Cool 50k / Western States Trail

Congratulations to my Friend Theresa for completing this ultra marathoner trail run! She is literally way-too-cool for me. Besides this being a monster of a run in Cool, California, the .gpx file will give you an idea where to ride/hike/run on back roads, and through a Section of the Western States Trail which eventually crosses over to the Western Side of the North Fork and down towards Folsom Lake. I haven't done it yet, but you may see me on the trail as I get out of my comfort zone for my next exploration.

Event Website: http://www.wtc50k.com/course.aspx
Distance:          50k
Difficulty:          unknown
GPX file:          here

Elk Grove County Park

If you're from Elk Grove, this is probably a very familiar trail to you, but for others just outside the area, it may be worth the drive for this literal 'walk in the park'. This 1.6 mile decomposed granite track is a great way to run nearby your neighborhood without running on the harsh roads. There are also tons of other things to do in the park including softball, bike jump park, dog park, swimming pool, duck pond, disc golf course, and even wifi access. 

Activity:    Run/Walk
Distance:  1.5 miles/lap
Difficulty:  As easy as it gets
KML file


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Foresthill Divide / Connector / Stonewall / Confluence Trail

I had previously posted about the Clementine Trail, which is an awesome 'loop' trail, but my favorite way to ride the best sections of that trail, plus some additional miles is to connect it to the Forresthill Divide Trail. This shuttle run will give you some of the fun up & down sections of Foresthill, and all the downhill sections of Clementine (Rucky Chuck). In total, this route is about 11.5 miles, but could easily be stretched into 17 miles if you ride the entire Foresthill Divide loop starting past the Foresthill Bridge on the right hand side trail head.

If you've got 2 cars, I recommend trying this Mountain Bike trail out.

Distance:  11.4 mi
Difficulty:  Moderate to Advanced
KML file: click here



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Eppie's Great Race

It's that time of year where the weather turns, and I start thinking about my fitness goals for this summer. One of the reoccurring goals is to compete in the Eppie's Great Race. This is a competitive race, and if you're going to compete, you'd better be good at the run. The run itself is 6 miles, compared to 14 on the bike, and 6 downstream on a kayak. It's difficult to pass on the kayak, and the some ground can be made up on the bike, but you don't even have a chance of pushing yourself through these legs if you can't run 6 miles and still have gas in the tank. I've attached the KML file to help you prepare for this years race:

KML file

eppiesgreatrace.org


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Clementine Loop / Stonewall / Confluence Trails

The Clementine Loop Trail is one of my favorite trails near Sacramento. It has up, it has down, and not too much in-between. If you want to make this a longer ride, it can also be connected to the Foresthill Divide Trail using the connector the road near the top of the climb. The initial climb starts at the confluence on Highway 49 near the Cool turnoff. From the parking lot, look up at the Foresthill Bridge, and you'll see the elevation gain for the trail. After this slow climb, the payoff is suite. Steep descents on Stonewall turn into fast and fun single-track on the Confluence Trail. When I've ridden in large groups, it's always fun to shuttle up the Old Foresthill Road to run the Confluence Trail a second time.

Warning: I took a group of boy scouts here and they got too excited for their abilities. The downhill sections make it easy to pick up speed, but know your technical limits.

GPS File: .kml
Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,294 ft
Type: Loop
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult


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Salmon Falls / Darrington Trail

The Salmon Falls Trail (lesser known name is the Darrington Trail) is one of the staples in the Sacramento area. The trail runs along the south fork of Folsom Lake and offers great views for a get-away not to far out of town. The trail is somewhat technical at the beginning, but gets easier as the trail goes on (don't be intimidated by the hike-a-bike section right out of the gate). The turn around point at the trail runs into a campground which offers services during the camping season.

Distance: 10 miles (one way)
Difficulty: moderate

KML file