Cedar Ridge Preserve is known as one of the best and most challenging trails to run in the DFW/North Texas area. We think you will both get a good work out, and enjoy the camaraderie with other trail runners. You will run on a variety of trails from mulch, solid rock, gravel, dirt, steps made of dirt or rock, and wooden bridges over small creeks. The trails are a series of switchbacks, some flat areas, and some straight up and downs, with some wide trails and some singletrack. The area is wooded, with small streams and creeks through-out. There is also a large pond, a lookout tower, and a birdwatching hut. The terrain is moderately strenuous, and may be walked or run.
Here are some brief bird’s eye views of the runs:
Marathon: You will run this loop four times. After a brief section of wide trail at the start, the loop turns down the secluded BackstagePass trail and up the Park in the Woods trail. The route then breaks out briefly into the sun on the Prairie trail, then back into the trees running the full course of the Bluebonnet and Escarpment trails. One of my favorite sections is the ascent on the Bluebonnet—it’s like running up the bed of a streamlet—which is what it becomes after a nice spring shower. Escarpment is a double-wide gentle descent so you can fly down it as much as you like–but halfway down you must take a detour across EM1 and loop back to Escarpment via Red Oak. At the bottom of the hill is an aid station. From the aid station, the Half Marathoners continue on to Cattail Pond and onwards to the rocky FossilValley trail. FossilValley has some good climbs in there and retains a bit of mud for the longest time after any rains. You also get to take in the downhill on Trout Lily. At the top of the ridge, you catch a brief section of the Cattail Pond trail before turning off onto Cedar Brake. This trail gives you a couple of good miles to stretch your legs, along with a few good climbs. Halfway along this trail is another aid station. You return briefly to the Cattail Pond trail before turning off to run the Possumhaw trail. Coming out of Possumhaw trail, you get to race to the half-way line amid roaring cheers. Then you get to turn around and run it all again for the bragging rights of being one trail-tough trail runner!
Half Marathon: The Half Marathon loop tracks along with the 5K loop all the way to the aid station at the bottom of the Escarpment trail. From the aid station the Half Marathoners continue on to Cattail Pond and onwards to the rocky FossilValley trail. FossilValley has some good climbs in there, and retains a bit of mud for the longest time after any rains. At the top of the ridge you catch a brief section of the Cattail Pond trail before turning off onto Cedar Brake. This trail gives you a couple of good miles to stretch your legs, along with a few good climbs. Half way along this trail is another aid station. You return briefly to the Cattail Pond trail before turning off to run the Possumhaw trail. Now Possumhaw is so lovely you get to run it twice! (I always considered this a pleasant, relaxing little trail—until I changed to running it counter-clockwise. So guess which direction you get to run the trail??) After completing the second pass at the Possumhaw trail, you race to the half-way line amid roaring cheers. There you either tag your relay partner who repeats the entire loop, or you turn around and run it again yourself for the bragging rights of being one trail-tough Half Marathoner.
The 10K loop is one time around the Half Marathon loop, except that you do not add on the detour across EM1 and and around to Red Oak–you simply take Escarpment straight to the aid station at the bottom.
5K loop: After a brief section of wide trail at the start, the loop turns down the secluded BackstagePass trail and up the Park in the Woods trail. The route then breaks out briefly into the sun on the Prairie trail, then back into the trees on the Mulberry, and runs the full course of the Bluebonnet and Escarpment trails. One of my favorite sections is the ascent on the Bluebonnet—it’s like running up the bed of a streamlet—which is what it becomes after a nice spring shower. Escarpment is a double-wide gentle descent so you can fly down it as much as you like. At the bottom of the hill is an aid station. Grab what you need and get ready to head up the hill. The route goes straight up (well, there’s just a couple of switchbacks) the Cattail Pond Trail. We reserved the steepest climb in the park just for the 5K-ers, so have fun with it! (Now don’t gloat too much over the Half Marathoners—they get their share of fun too.) At the top of the escarpment you are on the home stretch, running the refreshing undulations of the Cattail Pond trail all the way to the finish line. When you finish you’ll know you’ve been on a trail run.
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