Running Trail (a long mulch road
easy on your knees, legs and jarring of your body)
Total Distance 1.0 miles up & back down.
This 1/2 mile trail is twice as long above Mira Vista Drive than below Mira Vista Drive, thus the top part is 1/3 mile and the lower part to the cairn is 1/6 mile.
Story: I used to run 15 miles, every morning for months, on a 1-mile loop in a pine wood that was easy on my body. I just had to do the 1-mile loop fifteen times. This 1/2-mile trail (or 1-mile up & down) can be run as many times as you wish. I marked the distance on 10/29/2024 from about 10 feet below the big rocks blocking vehicles on the top to the cairn (3 rocks piled) on the bottom of the run.
This great running trail is the middle part of an HOA trail by another name Skyline Trail, that goes from Townes Court along a ridge below Townes Court with great views of lower HW and even a bench to sit on, to Headwaters Boulevard. Once you cross Headwaters Boulevard you'll see large rocks blocking access to the Mulch Road Trail by vehicles (making it safer for you to run or walk on). The Mulch Road Trail will take you to the Elementary School Access Road (Mira Vista Road) but you simply cross the road and continue on the Mulch Road Trail to the bottom of the hill where the Mulch Road Trail dead ends at a ditch that one can go toward Headwaters Boulevard and access it by the new Coventry Homes Trailer and Model Home being built on Headwaters Boulevard.
Before you get to the ditch at the bottom of the Mulch Road Trail, there is another HOA post that says Skyline Trail continues toward our future Elementary School and the lower Green Trail. In 3 or 4 years, this Skyline Trail will continue onto the lower Green Trail and into the new Rathgeber Public Park (Rathgeber Natural Resource Park) that is due to open in 2 to 3 years.
To run on this Mulch Road Running Trail, I'd suggest parking near HW lower roundabout on the side of Mira Vista Road and running down the trail to the ditch and then back to Mira Vista, retracing your steps as a warmup, then continue on the other side of Mira Vista Road as the Mulch Road actually goes downhill for a while before starting a gentle slope upwards on the mulch road, but then the steepest part for a city block before becoming a gentle slope to the top by the large rocks blocking access to this road from Headwaters Boulevard. If you wish to continue across HWBLVD onto the HOA path to Townes Court or at least to the bench and enjoy the view before returning down the Mulch Road Trail to your car, that would be a great run and your body parts will thank you for not running on hard concrete sidewalks, and blacktop roads. I used to run 15 miles per day, early in the morning, on a similar path (only pine needles and not mulch) while all my buddies were running on roads and sidewalks. My buddies were having to have hip and/or knee replacements, but the softer surface running has saved my knees and hips. My 15-mile run was doing a mile loop around a pine tree forest 15 times, meaning feel free to run this Mulch Road Trail as many times as you wish to get your distance in. In fact, we could start a HW record for who in HW runs/fast walks up and down this Mulch Road Trail the most times consecutively and with the fastest time? Call or text me at 715-323-3256 and I'll place your name, total time, and number of times you ran/fast walked up and down this Mulch Road Trail from the big rocks at the top to the Skyline non-mulch Trail Post at the bottom, on this page of this website. Enjoy being nice to your body parts and getting a great run/walk in.