New Trails: Pine Ridge Trail, Nebraska

If you're looking for a new trail to explore in a relatively unexplored part of our country, check out the Pine Ridge Trail in Nebraska. When most people think of Nebraska, they don't think of pine trees and hills. The Pine Ridge Trail might just change your perception of trail running in Nebraska.

From the Pine Ridge Trails brochure:

"The Great Plains’ ocean of rolling, grassy swales and farmland erupt abruptly into the rugged country called the Pine Ridge. This unexpected region owns an uncommon diversity of plant and animal life. The timbered canyons and open parks mix western and eastern plants, grazed pastures and sprawling timberlands. While the Ridge is not wilderness, it is still wild. The Pine Ridge Trail gives hikers and horseback riders panoramic views of the varied terrain, flora and fauna."

The Pine Ridge Trail is presently 27 miles long and designed to eventually extend 52 miles in length and connect Chadron, NE to Crawford, NE. Along the 27 mile trail are numerous other single track routes that all together add up to over 100 miles of single track trail through the Pine Hills of Nebraska. Find yourself a map and get out there an explore this hidden gem.

At Trail Runners Outpost we'll be regularly posting information about relatively unknown trails in lesser traveled locations. So, if you're traveling or if you live in these areas, we hope we can point you towards some great new trails for trail running adventures.

Black Hills Runners Club

South Dakota has some great trail running opportunities, and the Black Hills Runners Club has taken advantage of these great running trails by hosting their first Black Hills Runners Club Trail Running Series. Unfortunately the series is wrapping up, but there is still time to run the last race in the series, the South Dakota Trail Championship on November 7.

The Black Hills Runners Club is an active running club that promotes running in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. The Black Hills is home to many scenic and fun single track trails for running including the 100 mile long Centennial Trail that runs from Wind Cave National Park in the south to Bear Butte in the north and traverses the length of the Black Hills. The Black Hills Runners Club is now taking advantage of these great trails by offering a trail running series on various trails throughout the Black Hills. Stay tuned for more information about the 2010 trail running series and consider a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota for some awesome trail running through the scenic and historic Black Hills.

New Trail for the Boundary Waters

The Superior National Forest is developing a new trail in the Boundary Waters area that will link into the renowned Kekekabic Trail. The new trail will create a loop route off of the Kekekabic Trail that will loop back to Round Lake before entering the wilderness area. USFS crews used explosives Thursday (9/10/09)to help clear the new portion of the new Centennial Trail. From the Forest Service:

The Gunflint Ranger District is creating a new hiking trail this year. It’s just one of the many ways we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt proclaiming 644,114 acres in northeastern Minnesota as part of the national forest system effectively giving birth to the Superior National Forest.

The Centennial Trail will be a loop trail of 3.3 miles. It will incorporate 1.2 miles of the Kekekabic Trail and a new section, currently under construction, which will connect to the Port Arthur Railroad bed built in the early 1890's. After the Ham Lake Fire, several of the old mine pits and railroad beds were exposed and that's how Tom Kaffine, Forestry Technician and wilderness guru, came up with the idea of this historical trail.

The Centennial Trail will have some beautiful overlooks. Clearing the area has already begun and the Smokejumper Trail Association will be here to help complete the task.

Colorado Trail

As dedicated trail runners, we love discovering new trails and running adventures. We prefer running these new trails, but we also love uncovering new trails, researching them, hearing about other runners adventures and planning our next trip. We'll share new trails on Trail Runners Outpost when we find them and tell you about some of our experiences running them.

We recently returned from a 5 day 80 mile running trip on the Colorado Trail. We ran from the Gold Hill Trailhead near Frisco/Breckenridge to the Mount Massive Trailhead near Leadville. On our final day we ran to the top of Mt. Elbert - the highest peak in Colorado and 2nd highest in the lower 48 states at 14,433 feet. This segment of the Colorado Trail was spectacular with an amazing amount of variety from rushing creek valleys to high alpine ridge running. On the first day we went over the Tenmile Range and experienced some sublime ridge running. The second day took us over Searle and Kokomo Pass and amazing fields of wildflowers. The alpine traverse between Searle and Kokomo Pass at over 12,000 feet was spectacular. The third day took us through the beautiful Holy Cross Wilderness area with high mountain lakes and rugged alpine terrain. On the fourth day we ran through the Mt. Massive Wilderness Area and on some sweet rolling singletrack through thick pine forests.

Our trip on the Colorado Trail was just a small sampling of the wonders this trail offers. The Colorado Trail runs from Denver to Durango and covers nearly 500 miles. The trail is divided into 28 segments, each making a great daily running adventure. Six designated wilderness areas are crossed and it climbs over several high mountain passes.

Over the years many runners have run the entire trail from end to end. The Colorado Trail makes a great running adventure with good access points along the trail for support. The fastest known time for covering the entire length of the Colorado Trail is held by trail runner Paul Pomeroy. He completed the entire length of the trail running from east to west in 8 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes. Pomeroy also has the fastest known time for the unsupported run of the Colorado Trail in 14 days, 9 hours, 30 minutes. We recommend taking your time and enjoying each days run on the trail.

Adventure Running Co. offers a 5 day fully supported run on the Colorado Trail. This is a great way to run a beautiful section of the Colorado Trail, enjoy full support including gear transport and meals, relax after a beautiful day of running and make some great new running friends.

To learn more about the Colorado Trail and begin planning your own adventure, check out the Colorado Trail Foundation website. The Colorado Trail Foundation also has a great guidebook covering the entire trail.