Route:

We usually hold a time trial here once a month, over the warmer months. The time trial is a fun, low-keyed chance to track your progress throughout the season. We handicap the starts so that everyone finishes together. If you have run the time trial before, you will have an assigned start time. If not, use the formula below to estimate your starting time. After the time trial, we usually do an easy paced, group run at the top before heading back down.

Estimating start time: 1) Take a recent road 10k time; 2) Multiply that time by about 3/4, less if you are strong on hills, more if you aren't; 3) Subtract this time from 44:00 to get your start time. If your adjusted time is over 44:00, start at 0:00. Example: 1) 10k time of 50:00; 2) 3/4 of that is 37:30; 3) Subtract from 44:00 gives a start time of 6:30.

Time Trial Route : The time trial course is ~2.5mi, and 1,500'. Start by the bathrooms at the bottom. (near picnic bench photo at right) Follow the Castle Trail to the top and finish at the gazebo. Stay left at the junction about 100 yards after the start. There's a trail junction a little past halfway up. Stay left. Take a split time here. Your time on the upper part should be a couple of minutes faster than on the lower part.

Upper trails: Here are some of the different routes we take on the slower, group runs. 1) Continue west on the Castle trail, ~1/2 mi, to the Meadow trail. Go left, then keep taking rights back to the Castle trail. The faster runners might take the longer Tower trail off the S side of the Meadow trail. Please don't follow us. Take the Castle trail back to the gazebo, then back down to the cars. Half way down from the gazebo, some of us will go left onto the Turkey Trot trail. It adds a couple of minutes to your descent. 2) This is a reverse of the first option. Head up the Castle trail for 0.9mi. Go left at the second junction with the Meadow trail. Continue making lefts back to the Castle trail. Again, the faster runners may take the slightly longer Tower trail. 3) Go right, just after the gazebo, onto Walker 's Dream trail. It's a short run out to the Summer White House ruins. There are some great views both E and W from there. 4) Follow the first option to the Meadow trail, and go left. At the next junction, take a sharp left and head towards Devil's Elbow. The trail splits twice. We generally stay right. After returning to the Meadow trail junction, go right and head back to Castle trail, and back down.

Photo below, Trail about 3/4 the way up.
Photos right - 1/2 to 3/4 the way up - below right - our time trial destination, the gazebo.

See also Upper Area Info - Open Space Info

photos courtesy of runnersroost