Seneca Creek
Greenway Trail
Marathon and 50K
6:45am bus/
8:00am race start
Race Director: Ed Schultze
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Seneca Creek 6:45am bus/ 8:00am race start Race Director: Ed Schultze |
Brief Course Description, Aid Stations and Cut Off Times (3/1/10) Course Description: The real short version: The long version: The medium version: From the starting line (picnic pavilion near the questionable art display off of King's Valley) go down the parking lot away from King's Valley towards the soccer fields. Go down the park road and then get on the asphalt path on your right at first then on your left as it leaves the park service road and enters the wooded area and go down the hill. Almost to the bottom of the hill and right past a park bench on your left make a right hand turn onto the single track dirt trail--This is the Lower Magruder Branch side trail. Follow this for less than a mile to the road crossing at Log House Road. You should notice a brick utility building on your left right before you get to Loghouse which is about a mile from the asphalt path. This is an easy section, hard to get off trail. Cross Loghouse Road and follow the blue blazes. After you cross Log House, the trail bears left for a short ways and then turns right following the Magruder Branch on your left. You will mainly be near the stream valley low area. This is an easy section to follow and is about a mile and a half. Just follow the blue blazes and the race day flagging. After a while you will go up a little hill towards some groups of pine and away from the creek. You will bear left and then will come out on Watkins Road (NOT Watkins Mill Road). When you come out you will need to cross Watkins Road and then go up the road to your right just a little. You should notice a green mailbox right before the trailhead entrance. Get in right under the tree line (you may want to notice some very nice and quite old Oak and Sycamore on your left while you are there). This next section from Watkins Road to Huntmaster Road is a little less than 3 miles and is fairly easy to follow but you must pay attention to a few things. After running in the treeline immediately upon entering this section (with a private residence to your right and the low lying stream valley to your left), you will enter a wooded area (usually soft and muddy) you will shortly come to a trail intersection and must take a left to continue. In less than a minute you should approach a creek crossing with stepping stones. We hope to have the rope across on race day morning barring any unusual weather. Go across the creek and stay on the trail. Avoid any side trails, stay on the blue. Shortly you will climb a gentle hill to your right and then come upon a clearing where underground cable is buried. At this point you are essentially going down and up the hill to your right and crossing to the other side of the clearing. Make sure you are back on the trail (you will shortly see the creek to your right at the bottom of the hill) and follow the single track to Huntmaster Road. Cross Huntmaster and follow the trail to Brink Road. There is a 50 foot bridge a little less than a mile as you run this section. It is flat and there are two places where other trails intersect with the SCGT, just stay on blue and follow the flagging. The trail will dump you out onto a field near the intersection of Wightman and Brink Roads. Go across both roads to re-enter the trail on the other side of Brink. Brink Road Aid Station (~7 miles) Opens at 8:45 - Closes at 10:00 This next section from Brink to Watkins Mill is about a mile and half. There are a few 'neighborhood trails' in the middle and really only one hill. Towards the end you will cross a tributary creek and then approach an area with tall radio towers. This means you are almost at Watkins Mill Road. Go to the parking lot. You will need to both cross the road and the creek at this point at Watkins Mill Road. The next section is from Watkins Mill Road to Route 355 and is 3 miles. Leaving the previous section, cross Watkins Mill Road and go right--across the bridge at the bottom of the hill. When you get to the first driveway take a left and you will notice the trailhead on your right. Follow the trailhead to the Route 355 parking lot. This ~ 3 mile section is fairly popular and is not too difficult to navigate. Some landmarks you might want to notice (going downstream) include: a relatively new *synthetic bridge* across the creek a little less than a mile in; immediately after crossing the bridge, there is a steady gentle climb up; about a ½ mile or so you may notice a nice rock overlook this is approximately the halfway point for this trail section; about another ½ mile the trail will take you over a little ditch that handles the overflow water for a retention pond on Mid County Highway (not visible from the trail), There is now a bridge here; next the trail gets right next to the creek (on your left) and then goes across some boardwalks and up a little hill. After going down the backside of this hill, the trail bears left and again the creek is right to your left. The trail will take you out to a grass clearing and little hill at the Route 355 intersection. Go to the parking lot for some water. Route 355 Aid Station (~11 miles) Opens at 9:30 - Closes at 11:30 Leaving the Route 355 parking lot, runners must get on the sidewalk of Route 355 and cross the bridge over the creek (Not 355, do not cross 355). On the other side of the bridge, go over the wooden barrier immediately on your left and down the trail so that you are going under 355. You should notice a trailhead sign as soon as you clear the bridge. Also a new addition since 2009 are 1/2 mile markers which extend from this point to the finish. Do not get caught up in the mileage being 100% accurate and/or corresponding to your GPS. It should be pretty close. Follow the trail for about 2 miles. You will go under Interstate I-270 and then under an old CSX railroad bridge, then under Clopper Road (Route 117). You are now in the formal park area. The trail is right next to the creek. For this next section please pay careful attention. There are many side trails and runners do occasionally get off trail down here. The trail follows the creek (to the runner's right) then goes up a little hill away from the creek, then through a small stand of softwood trees, a gas line clearing, short decline to a little synthetic bridge and then shortly under some power lines, up and along a little ridge with the power lines to your right. Then the trail goes left away from the clearing into a wooded area (lots of laurel), new for this year the trail does not go back down along the creek. Instead the trail ‘ribbons’ slightly along the hill side and then goes up the hill to the left and up a hill. At the top of the hill you will come out to a road (and aid station). This is the point at which runners that arrive before 11:30 can opt to run a loop around the lake for the 50K option. Marathoners must clear this point by 12:00 and 50K runners must complete their lake loop and this aid station for the second time by 12:30. There will be an aid station at this intersection to help you. SCSP Clopper Lake Aid Station (~15 miles) Opens at 10:00 - Closes at 1:00 The lake loop is a simple oval loop around the lake which will be visible to your right about 95% of the time. Runners will be running around the lake in a clockwise direction. Yes there are side trails but all you have to do is make a loop around the lake. There are restrooms about 10% of the way around the lake loop near the playground. Please note that the lake loop is rooty, may have other trail users and has a few minor re-alignments compared to last year. After leaving the lake aid station, marathon runners and 50-K runners that have completed a loop will continue going downstream towards Riffle Ford Road. Follow the trail down a little hill and then to the first 'T" trail intersection. Follow the trail to your left. The trail next goes under an underpass (for Great Seneca Highway) with the creek to your left. Immediately past the underpass the trail goes up a little hill to your right then drops backs down and you will soon be an a double track in a clearing in a bird-observing area. The trail will veer left staying on a double track/gravel road. Due to the challenges of the course this year, the 2009 detour up through the power lines is not included, just follow the gravel road to Riffleford Road. When you get to Riffle Ford Road turn right and go over the bridge across the creek. After crossing the creek you will also need to cross Riffle Ford Road (Carefully, there will be volunteers to help you). You will go through a big gate and then bear to your left and pick up the trail again. Follow the trail for this section to Route 118. It is about 2.5 miles, flat and easy to follow. Be careful to follow the trail all the way to Route 118 and be careful crossing Route 118. When you get to Route 118 be sure to thank Stephanie Bates for manning this road crossing. She has done so since Year One . From Route 118 to the mill at Black Rock is just a little over a mile and the trail is easy to follow. There is a hill or two but nothing too big. Be sure to thank Ken Kelly for helping at the mill. Ken has adopted this post. When you get to the Black Rock Road, take a left and head towards the mill. Go through the parking lot staying to the left of the mill and re-enter the trail. This section has some gentle ups and downs and in less than a mile will dump you onto a field that is being re-forested (notice lots of four foot brown tubes with saplings). Stay along the treeline on your left with the field to your right. You will be heading toward a road (Route 28) Right before you would get to the road, the trail goes right so that you are running parallel to the road (with the road on your left) going down a hill. You will shortly get to a parking lot and aid station and who knows what Don and TIm have cooked up this year. Route 28 Aid Station (~21.5/25.5 miles) Opens at 10:30 - Closes at 3:00 After leaving the Route 28 parking lot, (and after brushing your teeth) go down the old road and then under the bridge and back onto the trail. This next section is 4 and ½ miles. There are side trails, just follow blue, with one exception. There are two areas runners should pay careful attention to. About halfway through this section as the trail goes up a little hill blue blazes go both to the right and straight. This should not have been blazed this way (In my opinion). You do not want to go straight. You want to bear right. This should be flagged on race day. However, if for some reason you end up going straight you will only go about 100-200 yards before the trail ends at a road (Berryville Road but not the Berryville Road aid station). Just turn around and look for the trail intersection and this time go left. The reason for the split is that this is an access trail. You will know you have reached the right Berryville Road trailhead when you notice an aid station and have traveled over 4 miles as compared to a little over 2 miles. Also in this section between Route 28 and Berryville Road runners will cross three fields (open areas): the first after about one mile is part of a farm, the second is just the edge of what used to be a farm and the last is former farmland where reforesting is occurring. After you get to the last field you are very close to the Berryville Road aid station. After passing the side trail intersection and the second field (you may notice the red brick mansion and horse fields then the original white frame house up the hill to your left). As the trail leave the field and re-enters a wooded area (double track for a short ways) follow the blazes for less than a ¼ mile. The trail crosses a very small crick (really ditch). Instead of bearing right and going back down by the creek which is the original trail, a re-routed section now goes straight up and down some gentle hills away from the creek. Be sure to notice two citation oaks at the top of one of the hills. Follow this new re-routing till you get dumped into the last field which is being reforested. You will cross a bridge in the middle of the field go across a short clearing, back into a wooded area and shortly will be at the Berryville Road Aid station. Berryville Road Aid Station (~26/30 miles) Opens at 10:45- Closes 4:00 Cut Off 3:45 Next, you will leave the Berryville Road Aid station and go down Berryville Road maybe 50 yards, then to your right to pick up the trail again. You will have to go across the creek (Hookers Branch). Note: if we have flooding conditions or very high water we will try to have a rope across the creek or you can avoid this creek crossing by just going down Berryville Road further climbing over a guard rail, bushwhacking back to the trail so you pick it up going up the first hill. Otherwise, once you cross the creek you should very shortly be climbing up a steep but short hill with wooden ties for steps (lots of laurel and ferns in this area). This section between Berryville Road and River Road has two hills and then is pretty flat as it follows along the creek- to your right. There is a new re-route in this section as well. After you go down the second hill and across some small perennial streams, look to your left for a new re-routed section. This section will take you to Seneca Road about 200-300 yards before it hits River Road. Take a right on Seneca and head up to River Road. Then take a right on River Road, cross the bridge over the creek then cross River Road and go down Tshiffley--a little dirt-gravel road hardly used. The creek is on your left now. This final stretch is less than a mile and will take runners right to the finish line. The volunteers will tell you how to get to the picnic from there. Finish Line Tshiffley Road and the Canal (~ 26.2/31.2 miles) Notes: * In following trails keep in mind that , with very few exceptions, the entire trail is blazed with blue markers (blazes) these should be about 2 inches by 6 inches at eye level for an average person. Sometimes the shade of blue is sky blue, blue-green, royal blue, pale blue, faded blue, regardless it is the only blue-ish trail. If you think you are off trail and you have not seen a blaze in say ten minutes or even five depending on your speed, one thing you can do is back track and find the last visible blaze. Remember that the trail is blazed in both directions. The trail was blazed pretty good at the end of summer. But since then some trees have been lost and it has not been warm enough to put new blazes out. You should be able to follow the entire trail from beginning to end by using the blazes and trail head signs (and this course description). However, in the formal park area you will also be on an orange-red trail and at times the trail is also the white and yellow trail. * In following the trail on race day, volunteers have flagged the entire trail to help runners stay on course. You really should notice green and yellow engineering ribbon tied together on branches roughly every ¼ mile or so. Flaggers will also be hanging flagging near areas that can be potentially confusing. This will be a great aid and confidence booster (so you know you are on the right trail) but every once in a while kids take the ribbons down. Let's hope that does not happen this year. * If you can gauge your pace even roughly and use the listing of aid stations and road crossing with mileage you should be able to predict your arrival time at key points which can also help keep you on the course. * Only Aid Stations with cut off times are listed above. There will be additional aid stations and/or at least volunteers with water at other points along the course. There will also be course marshals at every road crossing. They will help you stay on course and safely get across the road. Please accept their directions if they tell you to stop before crossing. We have an arrangement with the police that we will stop runners and not cars. * Cutting the trail; this is a competitive race. All runners are expected to follow the official trail as flagged on race day. * I don’t want to hear how the trail sections mileage vary according to various GPSs. We might as well predict the weather for the next three weeks.
To report broken links, mistakes, or other problems, contact Ed.
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