No Man’s Land is an 8ish mile looped course around the perimeter of Sam Houston Jones State Park. It begins on the Riverwalk Trail, continues on the Eagle Scout and Purple Haze Extension Trail. From there you will turn right onto the Nature Conservancy Trail until it crosses the Bailey’s …
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No Man’s Land is an 8ish mile looped course around the perimeter of Sam Houston Jones State Park. It begins on the Riverwalk Trail, continues on the Eagle Scout and Purple Haze Extension Trail. From there you will turn right onto the Nature Conservancy Trail until it crosses the Bailey’s Bender and then Old Blue directly in front of you. You will continue on the Old Blue Trail and the Blue Connector to the Cabin Trail and then follow along the river back to the boardwalk at the start. The course will be well marked. Flags are placed along the trail as “confidence markers” and arrows are placed to mark all turns.
Note: Because of changes to the trails in the park, the course will be slightly different. Trail runners rejoice; the road portion of the race has been eliminated.
One loop has approximately 125 feet of elevation gain and descent with the majority of the elevation being rolling hills on the blue trail. The trails still have plenty of technicality because of many roots, continuous twists and turns, and water crossings/ bridges. Its a great trail for people just coming into trail running, but still offers many challenges for trail veterans.
About No Man’s Land
In 1803, the United States purchased 530 million acres of land from France. Before the United States came along, Spanish-controlled-Texas and French-controlled-Louisiana had a long disputed history of the official territorial border. So as to not enter into military action with Spain, the U.S. proposed a “No Man’s Land” where neither country had jurisdiction. Sam Houston Jones State Park happens to follow the Calcasieu River, which is the Eastern border of what used to be “No Man’s Land” thus giving our trail run its name. Because there was no ruling government pirates like Jean Lafitte, used No Man’s Land as a base of operations. Local legend has it that his treasure is hidden somewhere along the Contraband Bayou or Calcasieu River (maybe a lucky runner will find it). By 1821 the U.S. had formally ratified the Adams–Onís Treaty marking the border at the more western Sabine River (where the Texas-Louisiana border is today).
8 Mile Ruck
Through a partnership with the local organization “With You,” we are excited to bring an 8 Mile Ruck Division in addition to the 8 mile run. With You is a non-profit that supports first responders through both mental and physical therapies. Dry weight recommendations are 30lbs for people >150lbs and 20lbs for people <150 lbs. Because of the remote nature of some of the trails, we will not allow anyone to start the ruck with intentionally heavier dry weight or in gear not designed for rucking (i.e. Firefighting, EMS, or Police gear).
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