After a morning run with the TOTs on Turkey Mountain, Jake and I headed foe Keystone State Park. There was some sort of biking event going on there, so we headed southwest to Heyburn Lake to run some trailz that I knew about but had never run. Always a bonus!!
These are equestrian trailz, but the are the same single track that trail crazies like me likes. Never once were there sections that were beat to death with horse hoofs, and even though it had rained yesterday, there were very few muddy spots.
Jale was a happy pup, and did his usual trail guide thing, acting like he knew exactly where he was going and coming back to make sure I did not get lost.
We passed the trail head for the Boot Tree Hill trail, and actually took that route on our return trip. The highlight of the trail was this tree.
I'd liken this trail to Lake McMurtry. Not many rocks, a few short ups and downs, and a view of the lake here and there.
One of the few rocky areas was on the Rocky Point Trail. With a name like that, I'd expect no less.
I took this 1/4 mile stretch of double track to avoid going back the way I came to from Rocky Point. At one time, Lake Heyburn had a LOT of camping. There are primitive campgrounds, spots with pads and full hookups, and almost all of it is abandoned.
"Hey Dad--you coming??"
I was very interested in this trail. I had read, and heard from a friend Clint Green that this was a good run/hike. From this sign, it is supposed to be 4.5 miles to the end of the line. I was banking on a 9 mile trip from here.
About 10% of the way was single track across open fields, which is about all the meadow running I like in a run.
Most was wooded, and if this trail had a bit more foot traffic, it would be perfect. A few fallen trees blocked the trail and quite a bit of the route was leaf covered but but gave no problems on our trip.
We crossed several drainages--small creeks that meandered into the lake. I never got my feet wet on the water crossings, but Jake did.
Towards the end of the trail, we ran alongside Brown's Creek. It's a muddy creek, and Heyburn is a muddy lake. Jake is a bit too chicken to take this dive.
Water was flowing over Brown's Creek falls. I bet it's a dry waterfall much of the year though.
From here, we headed back. If the Sunday TOTs make a road trip to run here (soon), we can put a water drop at the end of the trail which is right on HWY 33. Those wanting a 5 mile run one way could catch a ride back if we had a sag wagon. I bet we can work that out.
I took a few pix on the way back, but with a tired dog and a tired me, we just slogged and hiked it out. The day was seeming long.
Most of the color today was from the sky, but the green will be overpowering when I come again. We ended up with 10.6 here. The Rattlesnake Trail just under 9 miles out and back. The trails in the main park (Shepherd Cove, Boot Tree Hill, and another couple of spurs) can add as much as 2-3 miles.
One last swim for Jake. I actually got in the water too. I have a theory about Chiggers--if you wash your legs off soon after the run, I think you'll brush off a lot of the suckers before they anchor and bite. So far, so good. I collected a few ticks. No bites, but I felt a couple of nibbles before picking and disposing. I am a tick magnet, and in a trail run, the first runner gets the most. Jake has FrontLine, so any tick bites he get kills the tick. And he also had a good bath when we got home.
These are equestrian trailz, but the are the same single track that trail crazies like me likes. Never once were there sections that were beat to death with horse hoofs, and even though it had rained yesterday, there were very few muddy spots.
Jale was a happy pup, and did his usual trail guide thing, acting like he knew exactly where he was going and coming back to make sure I did not get lost.
We passed the trail head for the Boot Tree Hill trail, and actually took that route on our return trip. The highlight of the trail was this tree.
I'd liken this trail to Lake McMurtry. Not many rocks, a few short ups and downs, and a view of the lake here and there.
One of the few rocky areas was on the Rocky Point Trail. With a name like that, I'd expect no less.
I took this 1/4 mile stretch of double track to avoid going back the way I came to from Rocky Point. At one time, Lake Heyburn had a LOT of camping. There are primitive campgrounds, spots with pads and full hookups, and almost all of it is abandoned.
"Hey Dad--you coming??"
I was very interested in this trail. I had read, and heard from a friend Clint Green that this was a good run/hike. From this sign, it is supposed to be 4.5 miles to the end of the line. I was banking on a 9 mile trip from here.
About 10% of the way was single track across open fields, which is about all the meadow running I like in a run.
Most was wooded, and if this trail had a bit more foot traffic, it would be perfect. A few fallen trees blocked the trail and quite a bit of the route was leaf covered but but gave no problems on our trip.
We crossed several drainages--small creeks that meandered into the lake. I never got my feet wet on the water crossings, but Jake did.
Towards the end of the trail, we ran alongside Brown's Creek. It's a muddy creek, and Heyburn is a muddy lake. Jake is a bit too chicken to take this dive.
Water was flowing over Brown's Creek falls. I bet it's a dry waterfall much of the year though.
From here, we headed back. If the Sunday TOTs make a road trip to run here (soon), we can put a water drop at the end of the trail which is right on HWY 33. Those wanting a 5 mile run one way could catch a ride back if we had a sag wagon. I bet we can work that out.
I took a few pix on the way back, but with a tired dog and a tired me, we just slogged and hiked it out. The day was seeming long.
Most of the color today was from the sky, but the green will be overpowering when I come again. We ended up with 10.6 here. The Rattlesnake Trail just under 9 miles out and back. The trails in the main park (Shepherd Cove, Boot Tree Hill, and another couple of spurs) can add as much as 2-3 miles.
One last swim for Jake. I actually got in the water too. I have a theory about Chiggers--if you wash your legs off soon after the run, I think you'll brush off a lot of the suckers before they anchor and bite. So far, so good. I collected a few ticks. No bites, but I felt a couple of nibbles before picking and disposing. I am a tick magnet, and in a trail run, the first runner gets the most. Jake has FrontLine, so any tick bites he get kills the tick. And he also had a good bath when we got home.
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