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Toftrees-Village-at-Penn-State ("Geezer Farm") Loops |
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| Route: | Toftrees-Village-at-Penn-State ("Geezer Farm") Loops
| | Mileage: | 8.0 to 8.6. (The Summer Loop is 8.0 miles. The Winter Loop is 8.6 miles. ) | | Hillage: | Shorter loop has gentle grades. Longer loop has one steep hill. Elevation change: 239 ft. for Summer Loop and 266 ft for Winter Loop.
Average Grade: Summer Loop 2%. Winter Loop 3%. Notable hills:
| Sunset Park Bike Path: | On Summer Loop: The bike path leading from College Heights to the Toftrees Railroad Trail Runs at the bottom of Big Hollowis very steep. Going downhill from the corner of Mckee and Adams in College Heights, the ravine descends 130 ft in about 0.4 miles. Grade: 6.3%.
| Allen St. Dip:
| On Winter Loop: On N. Allen St, a drop of 95 ft in 0.4 miles from Adams St to Cherry Lane. Grade: 4.2% Then a climb on N Atherton and N. Allen Streets to N. Hills Place. A climb of 91 ft in 0.41 miles. Grade: 4.2% Portions of this dip are steeper.
| | Heritage Oaks Hills: | On Winter Loop: Two hills. A climb of 90 ft on Vairo Blvd in 0.39 miles. Grade: 4.4%. After a downhill glide, there's a 100 ft climb in 0.4 miles on Oakwood Drive to Waddle Rd. Grade: 4.7%.
| | Toftrees Avenue: | A climb of 83 ft on 0.35 miles. Grade: 4.7%. There's also a steep drop of about 70 ft before Presidents Drive with a 6% grade.
| Village Access Rd:
| A steep drop of 70 ft in less than a quarter mile from the Village at Penn State entrance to Fox Hollow Rd. Some parts of this short hill have a grade of over 7%.
| "4 Hills" Rise:
| An 89 ft rise over three-tenths of a mile from the curve on Big Hollow up the four bumps to the gate: An intense 5.6% climb. | | | Description: | Both the Winter Loop and the Summer Loop start and end at the Rec Hall. Start by taking the sidewalk that leads to the Nittany Lion Inn north to Park Ave. Cross Park, head to the right and then immediately go left on North Burrowes. Two blocks later, go right on Adams Avenue. At this point the routes separate.
Winter Loop: This portion is very much like the Winter Route of the Heritage Oaks Loop. Make a left on North Allen St. Take N. Allen to its end at Cherry Lane. Continue straight into the strip mall parking lot, making a left and then heading toward N. Atherton. Make a right on N. Atherton and follow the sidewalk a block and a half to East Clinton Ave. Go right, then immediately left onto the continuation of N. Allen St. At the end of N. Allen St, make a left onto Suburban Dr. Almost immediately is a very short trail that leads to the right abut 50 yards to Vairo Blvd. At Vairo, go right. Take Vairo up the long hill into Heritage Oaks. Make a right at Oakwood Avenue and follow that road around a long loop. When Oakwood doubles back on itself, go right for a short block to Waddle Rd. Take Waddle Rd a little over a quarter mile. Be careful in this section because you will cross two ramps for Rte 322. Obey the traffic lights. At Toftrees Avenue, make a right and then run in the bike lane. Immediately after making the right, you will see the Toftrees Rail Trail, which crosses Toftrees Avenue. This is where the Summer Loop meets the Winter Loop again.
Summer Loop: From where the two Loops separate in College Heights, take Adams all the way to McKee St. and take a left. At the end of McKee St is the Sunset Park Bike Path, which leads down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill, make a right on the Toftrees Rail Trail. Take this trail for about 2.5 miles to Toftrees Avenue. Toftrees Avenue is where the Summer and Winter Loops meet again. Take a right at Toftrees Avenue.
Continuing: Stay on Toftrees Avenue for just over a mile to Presidents Drive. Make a right, even though the sign says “No Outlet”. You are now in the Village at Penn State. Keep an eye out for Old Men In Hats Driving Buicks With Their Blinkers On. The road progresses past some townhouses, then heads toward larger multi-story condos. You will loop around to the front of these condos in a wide, clockwise arc. At the front of the Village, make the left onto the access road that leads down the steep hill to Fox Hollow Rd. (If you run this route in reverse, this is a very challenging hill.). Make a right on Fox Hollow, pass under the Bypass bridge, then make a right on Big Hollow Rd. You are now finishing up by doing the last 2.7 miles of the 4 Hills Loop. Take Big Hollow to the base of “4 Hills”, just over half a mile away. Then follow the road as it swings left and heads up the four-humped monster. At the top of the bonus fifth hill, make the right on Services Rd. Then head left on Bigler Rd. Cross Park Ave., then go right on Curtin. Finish by running back to Rec Hall, about ¾-mile away.
| | Remarks: | The route gets its popular moniker from the fact that it takes you through the Village at Penn State, a University owned retirement community for well-off alums. Okay. The name is a little politically incorrect. But most of the runners who enjoy the route are AARP Card-eligible. The summer loop is 8 miles, while the winter loop, which keeps you off of snow-covered trails, is 8.6 miles long. The route is basically a combination of the 4 Hills Loop and the Toftrees Rail-Trail Loop (or, during the winter, the Heritage Oaks Loop) with a big hill thrown in the middle.
| Map:
Click for Larger View)
|  | Summer Loop
Profile: |  | Winter Loop
Profile: |  | Added: 03/07
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