Trail Running – Page 33 – Leor Pantilat's Adventures

Rae Lakes Loop Aerial Map

Here is an aerial map of the 46 mile Rae Lakes loop (click on image for larger version):

According to the national park service, the Rae Lakes Loop is one of the most popular hikes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, if not the entire Sierra. I completed the famous loop in 12 hours, 31 minutes, starting at 5:30 am and finishing just after 6 pm. The loop is 46 miles long and climbs…

Pinnacles National Monument

Gary Gellin and I enjoyed a spectacular 13.5 mile loop in Pinnacles National Monument. This challenging loop entailed nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain and covered most of the highlights in the park, including Bear Gulch Cave, High Peaks, Balconies Cave, and Condor Gulch. The Pinnacles are located in the Gabilan Range to the east of the…

October 13th Storm

October 13, 2009 was a day for the record books in Bay Area weather and a bonanza for weather geeks like me 🙂 Numerous daily rainfall records were set across the Bay Area as the strongest October storm since the 1962 Columbus Day storm battered the region. Impressive rainfall totals were tallied in the usually…

Golden Hills Trail Marathon 2009

I ran the Golden Hills Trail Marathon in 2008 and 2007 so I was familiar with this excellent event, but there is nothing wrong with continuing a good thing! In 2007, this race was a breakthrough run in which I established a course record and ran strong throughout. In 2008, I was able to better…

Pescadero Pendulum

Pescadero Creek runs through a deep, shady canyon guarded by Butano Ridge, an aesthetic mountain that is over 15 miles long and rises over 2,200 feet. The snake-like shape of the ridgeline is unmistakable from Skyline Ridge and Long Ridge. The impressive relief in the area results in copious rainfall and an extremely lush environment…

More Butano State Park

Butano State Park is a relatively unknown state park north of Big Basin along the San Mateo Coast. It is a personal favorite of mine and the trail running here is amazing. The park includes an awesome loop through Little Butano Canyon complete with narrow single track clinging to steep canyon sides, lush redwood forest,…

The Stanford Loop

I designed a single large loop that entails nearly 40 miles and 14,000 feet of elevation gain with spectacular views into the heart of the Southern High Sierra. I call the route the “Stanford Loop” because it encircles 13,963 ft Mount Stanford, which is known as the “shyest” major peak in the Sierra because its…

Thornewood Open Space Preserve

Thornewood Open Space Preserve is a small park off Highway 84 between Woodside and Skylonda. There is not enough mileage here for a long trail run, but it’s a great place for an afternoon walk. The entrance is easy to miss along Hwy 84 so look for a brick gate 1.6 miles past the intersection…

Stevens Creek 50k

The Course: The minute I looked at the Stevens Creek 50k map I knew it would be a great course. The 31 mile route completes an aesthetic and comprehensive tour of the gorgeous Upper Stevens Creek watershed and Skyline South Region, including narrow single tracks in Douglas Fir and hardwood forest, stream crossings, and wide…