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Terrain: Track
Notes: Course Description (J Spencer)
Start and finish at the ballpark pavilion in Four Mile Creek Campground of Montgomery Bell State Park, Burns. At the end of campground paved roads enter the Blue trail, turning right up slope for a quarter Mi. Turn left at the split, then down towards the Visitors Center. Cross Jackson Hill Road to pick up the White trail with a sharp right hand turn going uphill into a stand of pines. This trail is very soft due to the bed of fallen pine needles, followed by 33 stairs up a steep hill. At 1.2 Mi you come to a split. Go left downhill to the valley below Creech Hollow Lake dam. Orange and White now mark the trail. Follow a steep downhill with a babbling brook to your left. At 1.3 Mi make a sharp left hairpin turn. This drops down to stream level and proceeds upstream until 1.7 Mi, where you go uphill again past the dam of Creech Hollow Lake. After jumping over some muddy spots along the lake, the trail passes a beaver den just 6 feet to the left. At the end of the lake is a second muddy jump. The trail continues uphill. At mile 2.5 another Y. Turn right and continue to the second Jackson Hill Road crossing at 2.7 Mi. You have now reached the highest point and come down into a moss-lined forest. At the trail split to the Woodland shelter bear right down the hill. At 3.2 Mi cross the bridge and run briefly along the stream. Then turn left for a short climb up a steeper hill away from the stream. At the top you are back in a stand of pines including two very tall trees. Another bridge and the trail drops down to Lake Woodhaven with a forest of red cedar, white-barked eucalyptus and fast-growing poplar trees. Mile 4 is a point looking north across Lake Woodhaven. At 4.2 Mi go uphill, then down and up to Hall Springs Shelter. Run in front the shelter, keeping to your left, where you enter the wide fire road and can pass those who went out too fast. At 4.5 Mi another stream crossing. If the water is high, take the bridge to your left, otherwise take the stepping stones. Continue uphill on fire road to Hall Cemetery. Nice tunnel-of-trees effect here and real good trail. After crossing Hall Cemetery Road and aid station, the trail is eroded and becomes narrow. At the top of the rise (5 Mi) dogwoods and cedars line the trail. Continue downhill on a poor trail with rocks and eroded areas (rainy days this can be a stream). Cross the stream bridge, then up to a rise past covered bench with a gazebo effect. This is a potential aid station and spectator spot accessed via Myatt Loop off Buddy Road. Follow a long gentle downhill where the trail is an old road made during iron smelting days with shiny black slag rocks used in the road construction. At 5.8 Mi the trail briefly hits the stream then back up the hill. It is now single track next to trees. At 6 Mi the trail is a rocky old road/stream bed area with an elevated forest floor ribbon of trail. Creek on the left, then the trail slopes down. Turn left downhill to bridge. Red and White mark the trail. At 6.2 Mi go left on field with log cabin to your right toward 4 cedar trees in turn-around to sign, then uphill. This starts the Ore Pit trail with the toughest hill of the course. At 6.3 Mi another Y go right, not to gravesite, and at the top of the hill another split, turn hard right at the edge of a deep ore pit. Soon will come the interesting topology with many ore pits on either side of the trail. Another covered rest area with a trail split at 6.9 Mi. The trail goes left and downhill following Blue and White marks. Cross the bridge and veer right through the trees and back on campground roads half a mile to the finish line (approx. 7.6 Mi).
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