| Route: | The Heritage Oaks Loop | ||||||
| Mileage: | Normal Route: 5.9
Winter Route: 6.1 Short-Cut Variation: 0.2 miles less each way. |
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| Hillage: | The Heritage Oaks Loop is the hilliest
route in the repertoire of the Rec Hall Regulars. The course has an average
grade of 4%, and a quick look at the profile below shows that there is
virtually no place on the course that can be called 'flat' with a straight
face. There are numerous 6%+ grade hills.
Total elevation chage: 170 ft.
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| Description: | Start in front of Rec Hall and run northwest
on the walkway that passes the Nittany Lion Inn heading toward Park Avenue.
Carefully cross Park Avenue and immediately go left on North Burrowes.
Two blocks later, go right on Adams Avenue. Take Adams all the way to McKee
St. and take a left. Pass Joe Paterno's house (the last house on the left
before Sunset Park) and then head down the bike path that begins at the
end of the parking lot for Sunset Park. This bike path connects the neighborhoods
of College Heights and Overlook Heights, but crosses a deep ravine (part
of "Big Hollow"). After the climb at the far end of the bike path, take
a right on Curtin St, which continues the climb even more. Take a right
on E. Aaron Drive to where it ends about half a block later. At the gate
where E. Aaron becomes a university dirt road, make a left and follow the
short bike path that connects the Overlook Heights neighborhood and Vairo
Blvd. Go right on Vairo and follow it as it winds past the student apartment
complexes. At the "T" at Oakwood Avenue, make a right and take the long
loop around the Oakwood/Heritage Oaks neighborhood. When Oakwood returns
to Vairo, return back to Rec Hall the way you came.
Winter Route: In the winter, the bike paths can become snow-clogged, icy, and impassable. The winter route avoids all but a very short "portage" over such treacherous paths. From Adams Ave., take N. Allen St. to its end. At this point, there is a way to wind through the various parking lots, etc., to where N. Allen St starts up again in Overlook Heights. You actually have to run on the sidewalk on N. Atherton St. for half a block in order to cross the old Big Hollow railroad bed. Continue on N. Allen St. and make a left at the end of N. Allen St. on Suburban Dr. Almost immediately on the right is a footpath connection to Vairo Blvd. Make a right on Vairo and continue as above. Take the same variation onthe way back. The winter route is 0.2 miles longer than the normal route. Short-Cut Variation:
This route is easiest to describe on the 'return' part of the run, but
can be taken either way. A block before Oakwood returns to Vairo, make
a left on Clearview Avenue. Almost immediately on the left is a gravel
road that leads to the back of the student apartments on Vairo near the
bike path connection to Overlook Heights. This short-cut takes about 0.2
miles off the route each direction it is run.
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| Remarks: | This torturous route was brought into
the Rec Hall Regulars' Repertoire on the continued insistence of Mike Dooris.
Mike's affable and gregarious demeanor gives no clue that he could concoct
"The Route With No Respite". Mike is a born leader, however. Whenever he
suggests this route, after the groaning stops, we all go, like infantry
grunts on a 20-mile march. |
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| Map: |  |
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| Profile: |  |