Trespassers Welcome
Technically the dogs have the right of way, and I am the trespasser buzzing through without a proper escort. In my defense, the pet path at Highbanks Metro Park is 3 1/2 miles of loops through woods and meadows and is fairly irresistible to runners looking for a less traveled trail.
Hannah and I started running it last summer to add some variety to the 300 miles she needed to log for cross-country. The map at the trail head showed a series of loops, and I was fairly certain we’d be directionally challenged at some point. Our strategy to take every right turn was sound and would eventually bring us back to our starting point. But one of the loops more resembles a deer trail than anything man-made, and is easy to miss. We ran past it on a regular basis in the beginning and would have to backtrack to include it in our mileage. Eventually we grew comfortable enough for Hannah to run on ahead at her faster pace. She’d take the car keys and meet me with my water bottle at trail’s end. I continued to run the loops at Coyote Run, our so-called “summer trail”, by myself after Hannah’s high school season started.
The path begins with a lengthy treed corridor, a virtual runway upon which to adjust the stride and engage the mind. Then, the journey begins with an abrupt turn into the woods. Feet hit packed dirt, grass and leaves and leap over roots and rocks -racing down one hill simply to wind up and around the next.
This past weekend I ran it under what felt like a summer sun. Brilliant colors and a clear sky above, the crunch of dried leaves underfoot. The stretches of meadow can be blazing hot on a summer day but accentuate the body’s cooling when one swings back into the shaded woods. An Adena burial mound dated to more than 2000 years ago rises out of the first meadow and offers a thoughtful vantage point from which to view woods and sky.
And yes, there are dogs… My lab Lily loves this trail as does Simba, a very personable Great Pyrannese, that I met the other day.
*Map was charted last summer with the My Tracks app on my G1 phone.
View Coyote Run Trail, Highbanks Metro Park in a larger map
You have a good run trail which I am eaferly looking for.
I have a good one for hiking, but not for the evening jogging.
Trails are so much easier on the legs than the roads. And of course, it’s nice not to have to worry about traffic. Enjoy the smells and feel of Autumn. I think it’s the best time of year to run. Well, I like Winter when it’s cold and still and snowing those big, fluffy flakes. And Spring makes me want to really start the running year right. Summer is great because the ’sweat baths’ are invigorating. If you’re lucky enough to run through a quick downpour on a hot evening, you think you’ve found heaven. Come to think about it, I guess I just like to run outside all year. Sounds like you do too!
Have you noticed any dog-only swimming areas at the parks you go to? There’s one of the metro parks near me (Prairie Oaks?).
looks like a nice trail for running and mountain biking but I guess that would only encourage the dogs to chase the wheels.
The photos look so beautiful wish we had something so beautiful around here that went that far.
Your dog is beautiful.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
If you are going to trespass you might as well do it somewhere as nice as this. Watch where you put your feet though. lol
What a beautiful place for running.
It’s so great to run with doggies! Yeah, My Dacheshund loves to run with me too!
I love your doggie, I want to have a Lab when I get a bigger house,
Rainfield: When there is enough snow in the winter, they open this same trail up to cross-country skiers!
Bartolomo: I do! I prefer wearing less layers than winter weather demands but would rather run than not any day of the year.
Delmer: We haven’t been to Prairie Oaks yet. Good to know about the dog area there!
Cate: The flat areas would be a little boring to mountain bikers, but there are some good hills that would be fun to ride. Now that I’ve mountain biked, I think of doing it on about every trail I run!
Dorothy: We are very lucky with our local park system. Simba, the pictured dog, was actually a new friend on that day. My dog Lily is a very beautiful chocolate lab!
Donald: ~Always a risk on a pet trail! Thankfully, that has never been a problem. Pet clean-up bags are available at the trailhead.
iWalk: Our lab Lily loves to run but is usually finished after a couple of miles (and ready for a swim!).