Circleville Bike Path and Deerfield Loops
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Special Note: | The Bike Path Loops require running across Blue Course Drive at a point where that road is a divided highway. Though the road is only moderately busy, cars typically travel in excess of 55 MPH. Caution should be exercised. | ||||||||
| Route: | Circleville Bike Path and Deerfield Loops | ||||||||
| Mileage: | 4.9 - 9.5 | ||||||||
| Hillage: | Flat, some rolling hills, and a couple of challenges on Deerfield Rd and Park St. Elevation change for Circleville Farm Bike Path Loop: 156 ft. Elevation change for Deerfield Bike Path Loop: 318 ft. Notable hills on the shorter loop:
The longer Deerfield Loop is one long climb from the low point near Radio Park School to the top of the hill on Deerfield Drive. The climb is 318 ft in 3.3 miles, for an average grade of 1.8%. A good bit of that climb, 136 ft, is covered in just over half a mile on Deerfield Drive itself, parts of which have a 4-6% grade. | ||||||||
| Description: | The bike path to the west of the Penn State campus offers access to farms, wooded areas, and residential neighbroods. Almost as soon as the bike path was completed in the late 90s, local runners were doing a loop that included that bike path, parts of Circleville Farm, and the Penn State golf courses. Now, runners can also use the bike path on the new section of Blue Course Drive. They can also continue on the Circleville Bike Path all the way to the State Game Lands. The route below is the old Standard Bike Path Loop, followed by a description of options for some nice, long additions. Start on the bike path on North Atherton across from Rec Hall. Head north to Park St. and make a left. At the end of Park St, the trail continues down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill there is a fork in the path. Bear right. From here, the bike path follows an old railroad bed as it goes by the College Heights neighborhood on the right and the Teaberry Ridge development on the left . The path leaves the railroad bed as it bends around the back of the Radio Park Elementary School and turns to parallel Blue Course Drive. Be watchful of cars as the path crosses Teaberry Lane. at the busy intersection with Blue Course Dr. and Circleville Rd! After crossing Teaberry Lane, there is a fork in the path. Take the left fork and head through the tunnel under Blue Course Drive. The bike path continues along the back of the homes along Circleville, up a steep hill, and then down to the intersection of Circleville and Park Hills Ave. Follow the bike path as it bears left. About 50 yards past the intersection, the bike path itself bears right into the woods and continues onward toward Science Park Road and beyond. The latter section of this descriptions gives some options for longer runs on that path. For the standard loop, bear left on the gravel road into Circleville Farms, a University owned experimental farm. Continue on the gravel road for a little over half a mile. If you run this route at the right time of year, as you round the last bend in the road you will behold the vast Circleville Farms Manure Pile. Hold your breath, bear left at the end of the road, and skirt the edge of this pile. There is a trail that leads up the steep hill to the berm of Blue Course Drive. Carefully cross Blue Course Drive. At this point, you can complete the loop by making a right on the bike path along Blue Course Drive, or you can take a short path through the woods that border the Penn State Golf Course and there pick up a dirt trail that parallels Blue Course Drive on the golf course. About half a mile later both Blue Course and the dirt path intersect the cinder path that skirts the southern side of the Penn State golf courses. Make a left and continue on this path as it crosses the Clubhouse Road, a bridge across Corl Rd, and heads up a hill to access roads for some student housing. Wind your to the finish by following the roads and parking lots counterclockwise back to the starting point. Here are some options to add on miles. At the point where the Circleville Bike Path meets the gravel road into Circleville Farm, continue on the bike path instead of the road. The bike path goes for another mile before emerging into the Saybrook neighborhood on North Foxpointe Dr. Make a right on North Foxpointe, head up the hill a block, make a left on Sleepy Hollow Road, and continue on the bike path for about 200 yards to the entrance to State Game Lands 176 on the right by the Greenbriar sign. Continue on Sleepy Hollow as it winds through the Greenbriar neighborhood. Make a right on Deerfield Dr, which heads up a steep hill and does a nice wooded loop. Head back the way you came to Circleville Farm and complete the shorter loop described above. Here are the mileages for various options. Elevation profiles are given below for the Standard Bike Path Loop and the full Deerfield Loop. Standard Bike Path Loop - 4.9 miles Turnaround at Farmstead Ln. - 5.7 miles Turnaround at Science Park Rd. - 6.1 miles Tunraround at North Foxpointe Dr. - 6.9 miles Turnaround at Game Lands Entrance - 7.4 miles Deerfield Loop - 9.5 miles. | ||||||||
| Remarks: | The Bike Path Loop is a moderately challenging 5 mile loop that samples parts of the College/Ferguson Township bike path system and the Penn State golf course trails. The Loop is very popular among the Rec Hall Regulars. The longer Deerfield Loop is a popular Weekend Group Run. The start of the Tudek Park extension of the bike path is shown in orange on north side of the map below. Other running routes incorporate sections of the bike path system, including the Golf Course routes, the Wal-Mart Loop, and the Park Hills Loop. The section of the Loop that borders the southwest end of College Heights is part of an old railroad bed, as is the gravel path that runs along the southern border of the golf course perimeter. Circleville Farms, which has been used as an experimental farming area by Penn State, will in the coming years be developed into another residential area. Enjoy the run through Circleville Farm while you can! Click on the map below for a larger image. | ||||||||
| Map: (Click for larger image) |  | ||||||||
| Profile - Standard Bike Path Loop |  | ||||||||
| Profile- Deerfield Loop |  |
Added: 10/00
Updated: 01/06
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Campus Loop 10K Course
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | Campus Loop 10K Course. (At times used as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 10K Race Course) | ||||||||||||||||
| Mileage: | 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles. | ||||||||||||||||
| Hillage: | Two loops over a mostly flat course with a couple of short hills. The long stretches of the course that are on Curtin Road are gentle downhills.
Total elevation change: 133 ft. There is a rise of about 50 ft. from the corner of Porter Rd. and the entrance road to the track to the corner where the entrance road meets Hastings Rd. by the Materials Research Laboratory. The grade is over 4% for about 100 yards. There is another sharp rise of nearly 30 ft. on Fraser St between Pollock Rd. and Curtin Rd. The grade is nearly 5%. | ||||||||||||||||
| Description: | The Campus Loop 10K makes nearly two complete loops of a course laid out on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The course starts in front of the Bryce Jordan Center near the corner of Curtin Rd. and University Drive. The course heads east on Curtin and makes a right on Porter Rd. The course goes right at the entrance road to the track area, then bears left up the hill along side of the Materials Research Laboratory. The course then makes a right at Hastings Rd. and continues on Hastings as it crosses University Drive. The course bears right at Bigler Rd. and then makes a left on Pollock Rd. At the corner of Fraser St., the course makes a right and heads up a short, but very steep rise to Curtin Rd. Making a right on Curtin, the course continues for about a mile to the starting line. The course then repeats the above loop, finishing in front of the Intramural Building on Curtin Rd, a couple of hundred yards before the starting line. The Campus Loop 10K Course is a USATF certified course (Certificate # PA 97016 WB). A precise description of the mile markers follows for race directors:
Note: Any deviation from the USATF-certified course invalidates the certification! | ||||||||||||||||
| Remarks: | The USATF Certified Campus Loop 10K course has been used for the Art's Festival 10K. In recent years, the campus roads over which the course is run have been continually torn up due to the campus construction boom. Here is a link to the current Art's Festival 10K course. | ||||||||||||||||
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Added: 6/01
Revised: 3/03
Four Hills Loop
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | The "4 Hills" Loop | ||||
| Mileage: | 5.0 | ||||
| Hillage: | Concentrated Hills: The 4 Hills Loop is mostly flat or gradually sloping. Most of its 205 ft elevation change is concentrated in two hills: the descent on Fox Hollow Rd and the ascent up "4 Hills" on the return. Elevation change: 205 ft.
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| Description: | Start in front of Rec Hall and head down Curtin Rd., dodging students all the way to Porter Rd., next to Beaver Stadium. Make a left on Porter and carefully head past the light at Park Avenue, where Porter Rd. becomes Fox Hollow Rd. After just about a mile on this busy but wide-shouldered road, make a left on Big Hollow Rd. Big Hollow Rd. is just before the Rte. 322 Bypass overpass, and the Army Reserve building is on the corner. Take Big Hollow Rd for about 1½ miles as it makes a wide bend, goes up "4 Hills", and ends up at Services Rd. next to the Penn State Salvage Building. Go right on Services Rd., follow it as it bears left and becomes Bigler Rd. Carefully cross Park Avenue and continue on Bigler Rd. to Curtin Rd. Take a right on Curtin Rd. and head back to Rec Hall. | ||||
| Remarks: | The "4 Hills" loop, also known as the "Armory Loop" (because it passes the Army Reserve building) is a moderately challenging 5 mile loop. The "4 Hills" refers to the four successive rises on Big Hollow Rd (see map below for location). This route used to be called the "No-Brainer Loop" by the Rec Hall Regulars: It was the 5-miler that was run whenever nobody wanted to think too hard about where to go. That honor has since passed to the Bike Path Loop, because that route has no car traffic. However, the 4 Hills loop is still very popular, especially in the winter when the bike path is under snow. The 4 Hills Loop also links up with many other popular running routes including the East Aaron Loops, the Town Loops, the Tunnel Loop, the Deer Pens Loop, and the Toftrees Loop, and can be run in combination with pieces of these routes for a varied running repertoire. | ||||
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Added: 10/00
Updated: 5/01
Deer Pens Loop
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | The Deer Pens Loop | ||||||||
| Mileage: | 7.7 - 8.0 | ||||||||
| Hillage: | The Deer Pens Loop contains a number of steep hills. Elevation change: 203 ft.
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| Description: | Start in front of Rec Hall and head down Curtin Rd., dodging students all the way to Porter Rd., next to Beaver Stadium. Make a left on Porter and carefully head past the light at Park Avenue, where Porter Rd. becomes Fox Hollow Rd. Continue on Fox Hollow Rd as it descend for almost a mile to underpass, and then as it climbs for another mile-and-a-half. After passing the entrance to the Toftrees development, the road bends to the right. About a third of a mile after this bend is an entrance to some University land on the right. A sign near the road says "ARL Steam Plant". Take a right here. Run for about three-quarters of a mile on this gravel road past some University agricultural fields. The road starts sloping downhill and bends to the left. Just past the bend, there is a road that heads steeply down hill to the right. Make this right and run past the Penn State Deer Pens. Take a minute to see if the deer are nearby. At the bottom of the hill is the gravel portion of Big Hollow Road. Go right here. head back to Fox Hollow Road. Make a left and carefully cross Fox Hollow Rd, making an immediate right just past the overpass onto the macadam portion of Big Hollow Rd. Take Big Hollow Rd for about 1½ miles as it makes a wide bend, goes up "4 Hills", and ends up at Services Rd. next to the Penn State Salvage Building. Go right on Services Rd., follow it as it bears left and becomes Bigler Rd. Carefully cross Park Avenue and continue on Bigler Rd. to Curtin Rd. Take a right on Curtin Rd. and head back to Rec Hall. Option: On a hot day, you can add a pleasant three-tenths of a mile to the above loop just past the halfway point, when you need it most. On the University gravel road above the Deer Pens, about a third of a mile from Fox Hollow Rd, another gravel road heads off to the left. Take this as it heads toward a hedgerow of tall trees. The road then goes right along those tall, shady trees and then heads back to meet the main route at the intersection of the road down to the Deer Pens. | ||||||||
| Remarks: | The Deer Pens Loop provides a moderately long training route on both macadam and gravel surfaces that combines flat portions, steep hills, open spaces, and shade. About two thirds of the way into the run, you can take a break and look at the deer in the University Deer Pens. There are some native and exotic species. The Deer Pens Loop is a nearly three mile extension of the 4 Hills Loop. It also links up with many other popular running routes, including the East Aaron Loops, the Town Loops, the Tunnel Loop, and the Toftrees Loop, and can be run in combination with pieces of these routes to make even longer runs. | ||||||||
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Added: 3/03
Heritage Oaks Loop
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | The Heritage Oaks Loop | ||||||
| Mileage: | Normal Route: 5.9 Winter Route: 6.1 Short-Cut Variation: 0.2 miles less each way. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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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Added: 12/00
Updated: 5/01
East Campus Beginner's Loops
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | East Campus Beginner's Loops |
| Mileage: | 1.4 - 3.4 |
| Hillage: | Mostly mild grades with a couple of challenges on the longer loops. Longest climb: About 50 ft on the shortest loop, progressing up to about 150 ft on the longest loop. Notable hills: On the shorter loops, the trip up from Pollock Rd to Curtin near the end of the run is the only climb. The longer runs have several hills. The hill between University Rd and Bigler Rd on Hastings in Loops 3 and 4 is a nice challenge. Loop 4 adds another sharp climb from the area of the Penn State Track to the Materials Research Lab on Hastings. |
| Description: | Loop 1: Make a right at Shortlidge Rd. A block later, go right on Pollock. At Burrowes, go right and return to Rec Hall. Total distance: 1.36 miles. Loop 2: Pass Shortlidge and continue to Bigler Rd. Make a right, then a right at Pollock Rd. and a right at Burrowes. Total distance: 1.79 miles Loop 3: Continue on Curtin past Bigler. Make a right at University Drive. Go right at the light at Hastings Rd. Go over a short hill, then make a right on Bigler Rd. followed by a left on Pollock Rd. Go right on Burrowes and return to Rec Hall. Total distance: 2.62 miles. Loop 4: Continue on Curtin Rd all the way to Porter Rd. Go right and follow Porter to the access road for the Penn State Track, going right. Take that road to the first intersection and then make the left up a short hill. Make the right on Hastings. Take Hastings to Bigler, go right, then make a left on Porter. Return to Rec Hall by making a right on Burrowes Rd. Total distance: 3.44 miles. |
| Remarks: | Since the NVRC Beginners Group has become so popular, I thought I’d add some more short “beginners” running routes to the web site. When beginning, of course, it’s best to start slow and work your way in speed and mileage, slowly. That is the philosophy behind the Couch-to-5K Running Program on this web site. The routes featured allow you to build on the same basic route, adding more mileage and hills with each increment. The routes all start and end at Rec Hall and take successively longer trips down Curtin Road, returning by way of Pollock Rd. The routes range in length from a mile-and-three-quarters to nearly three-and-a-half. There’s generally a mix of shade and sun. And there’s plenty of scenery, especially in the summer. And I’m not just talking from an easily-distracted middle-aged man’s perspective. There are plenty of campus landmarks: the new Pasquerella Spirituality Center, the new Creamery, the Bryce Jordan Center, Beaver Stadium, the new baseball stadium, and much more. Just watch that you don’t trip over all the campus construction! After you’ve worked your way up through these loops, you can try some of the other loops on the NVRC Maps Pages. The Town Loops take up where the longest route above leaves off. Also, the recent Arts Festival 5K route (the first half of the 10K course) is a nice variation on Loop 3. |
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Loop 2 Profile: |  |
Loop 3 Profile: |  |
Loop 4 Profile: |  |
Added: 7/06
Jerry's Out-Of-Towner Welch Pool Loops
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | Jerry's Out-Of-Towner Welch Pool Loops | ||||
| Mileage: | 4.6 to 6.2. (The Shorter Loop described here is 5.2 miles. The Longer Loop is 6.2 miles. See also Variation below.) | ||||
| Hillage: | Shorter loop has gentle grades. Longer loop has one steep hill. Elevation change: 165 ft. for both Shorter Loop and Longer Loop.
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| Description: | Both the Longer Loop and the Shorter Loop start and end at the Welch Pool parking lot, which is on the south side of Westerly Parkway across the street from the State College Area High School North Building. During the summer, the pool is a great place for a post-run swim. Either loop can easily be adapted to start and finish at one of the many hotels on South Atherton St. Start from the Welch Pool parking lot and run west on Westerly Parkway. A little over a mile from the pool Westerly ends at Blue Course Drive. Make a left. Take Blue Course Drive about a mile to Stratford Drive and go left. At the end of the long, downhill block is Waupelani Drive. Make a right and then take the next left onto Whitehall Rd. Carefully run on the left shoulder of the road. The sidewalk is intermittent on Whitehall and University Drives, but the shoulder is wide. About a block past Waupelani Drive, Whitehall becomes University Drive (a narrow, shady road called East Whitehall Drive continues to the left). University Drive is a busy road, but there are few cross streets and the scenery is nice, with a fine view of Mt. Nittany to the right. Stay on University Drive for about a mile to South Atherton St. Make a left. South Atherton is a very busy thoroughfare, so be careful when crossing the cross streets. Continue over a hill and down for about 3/4 mile to the light at Westerly Parkway. Make the left at Westerly and continue for about a third of a mile to the finish at the Welch Pool. Longer Loop: Start the same way as the Shorter Loop and do the first nearly 4 miles of that route. At the corner of University Drive and South Atherton, continue on University. Here, University Drive is still a busy road, but now runs through a residential area with many cross-streets. Continue on University over a short, steep hill. At the bottom is Easterly Parkway. Make a left. About 3/4 mile later, at the corner of Allen Street, Easterly Parkway becomes Westerly Parkway. Continue for another half-mile, crossing Atherton St and finishing at Welch Pool. Variation: About 3 miles into either loop, make the left onto East Whitehall Drive from Whitehall Rd as Whitehall becomes University Drive. Take Whitehall to South Atherton. There, make a left to finish the Shorter Loop or go right, then left a couple of blocks later to finish the Longer Loop. This variation takes about 0.6 miles off the Shorter Loop and 0.1 miles off the Longer Loop. | ||||
| Remarks: | Jerry's Welch Pool Loops came about when NVRC President Jerry Steffy moved to town. He was unfamiliar with the streets, roads, and trails of the State College area and picked a route on which he would not get lost. When Jerry started up the Beginner's Running Groups, he would have the runners do the shorter loop as soon as they were able to run 5 miles. With a shift of start and end point, the loops can be run from one of the many hotels on South Atherton St. The routes are also not far from the Penn State campus. For these reasons, the loops are ideal routes for visitors and newcomers to State College. The biggest drawback of the routes is that they are on relatively busy streets (though it's nothing like running in the big city!) | ||||
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| Shorter Loop Profile: |  | ||||
| Longer Loop Profile: |  |
Added: 01/07