Redeye Loop

This is the loop for the annual New Years Day Red Eye 50 km.

Distance
  • 9.9 miles
Running time
  • 1.5–3 hours
Total ascent/descent
  • 1,000 feet
    105 feet/mile
Start/finish
GPX file
Print or download
What to wear

Directions

Start at the Pine Grove parking lot. Go past the pavilion, restrooms and playground. Go through a grassy clearing and find the trailhead in the far, back right corner of the clearing. This is the Laurel Trail, and is marked with blue and yellow blazes. Take this downhill across a wooden bridge and turn right onto South Valley Trail, following the stream.

After 0.9 miles turn left onto Pyrite Mine Road. Take Pyrite Mine Road uphill. This is a gravel road. At mile 2.2, look for the trail marker and orange blazes for Cabin Branch Mine Trail on the right. Head into the woods on singletrack trail. Follow this orange blaze trail through the woods, passing markers from pyrite mines.

At mile 3.2, the trail intersects with the North Valley Trail. Turn left onto North Valley Trail, passing a wooden bridge and more pyrite mine markers. The stream is on the right. Continue on North Valley Trail (Geology Trail heads to the right — do not take this). Follow the light blue and dark blue-blazed North Valley Trail. Geology Trail intersects again at mile 3.4, but continue straight on North Valley Trail. Cross over a stream using the big rocks. Cross over Lake Road at mile 3.7 and continue on North Valley Trail. At mile 4.9, cross the stream and shortly after, turn left on Burma Road (gravel road) and follow it over the bridge.

Continue on Burma Road, crossing blacktopped Scenic Drive at mile 5.4. Continue on Burma Road. Cross Old Blacktop Road at mile 6.0 and continue straight, as Burma Road becomes Taylor Farm Road. At mile 6.3 turn left at trail marker for High Meadows Trail, blazed orange (which comes in from the right). At mile 6.5 take a left onto yellow-blazed Little Run Loop. Do not follow the orange trail over the wooden bridge. Take yellow Little Run Loop up the hill and reach the Turkey Run Education Center at mile 7.0. Bathrooms and water are here.

Pass through the education center parking lot and on the blacktop road. Turn left onto the singletrack, blue-blazed Turkey Run Ridge Trail. At mile 7.7, cross a blacktop road and continue up the trail. At mile 8.4, cross a bridge and follow the white-blaze South Valley Trail. Follow the stream. At mile 9.4, turn right onto North Orenda Road trail, eventually turning right and crossing over the same suspension bridge from the beginning, and take the yellow and blue-blazed Laurel Trail back up to the Pine Grove parking lot.

Last updated May 17, 2020

What you do is up to you, but you shouldn't rely on these directions alone; they are often not specific enough to navigate by, and may be incorrect or out of date. Review a map beforehand and carry it with you. Tell a friend where you are going and when you plan to return. Do not count on having cell phone service while on the run. The VHTRC is not responsible for your welfare on any of these runs. If you go on one of these runs and get lost, run out of water, get injured, mauled by a bear, or die, or if anything else goes wrong, it's your fault; not ours. You assume all risks here and the VHTRC assumes none at all. Legal issues aside, some of these runs are more remote than others and the VHTRC is not suggesting that you do any of these runs, unless you are prepared to accept full responsibility for yourself.