White Ranch
| Park Map |
Start from Lower Lot
Difficulty Rating (1-5 scale, 5 being the most difficult)
Physical: 5
Technical: 4
Navigational: 3
The lower lot of White Ranch is quite popular with bikers and hikers, but is very challenging. After an easy start, it's a long uphill climb, no matter which route you take. The trails are great, but be prepared for a hard run.
Weather and Seasons
The lower part of the Belcher Hill trail is exposed, so dries fairly quickly after rain/snow. Whippletree, Longhorn, Shorthorn, and the upper trails are shaded and N facing, so will hold snow and moisture a lot longer. They're fine to run on when snow packed. However, the soil has a lot of clay and can be very thick and sticky when wet. DTR's policy is to stay off the trails when they're wet. There have been mountain lion sightings (and probably thousands more where they weren't seen but they saw the runners/hikers), so use caution when running alone, especially around sunset.
Driving Directions
From hwy 93 in Golden, go W on 56th. The entrance to the large dirt lot is to the right, 1.2mi up.
http://g.co/maps/twc48
Running Routes
These routes are intended to take 1:20-1:30.
All levels head up Belcher Hill. Go through the gate, down the hill, and across the road. The next section is the most technical, flat, but through a rock garden. The trail is smooth through a short rise, then flat section. It drops steeply and crosses a creek before the real climbing begins. At 1.7mi, take the first right onto Whippletree. Blue arrow, all routes.
Start from Upper Lot
Difficulty Rating (1-5 scale, 5 being the most difficult)
Physical: 3
Technical: 3
Navigational: 3.5
The upper lot of White Ranch takes us away from the heat of the city, and away from runs that start uphill. The upper trails are rolling and shaded. It's a longer drive, ~20 min from Golden, but worth it.
Weather and Seasons
The upper trails are mainly for warm & dry seasons. They can be fun and challenging when there's enough snow and it's fairly fresh, but sloppy otherwise. There have been mountain lion sightings (and probably thousands more where they weren't seen but they saw the runners/hikers), so use caution when running alone, especially around sunset.
Driving Directions
From hwy 93 in Golden, go W up Golden Gate Canyon Rd for 3.8mi. Just past the Grange Hall, turn right onto Crawford Gulch. Go 4mi. At the top of the second hill, turn rt onto Belcher Hill Rd. Go 1.75mi, to the lot at the bottom, at the end of the road.
http://g.co/maps/u35y4
On Thursday nights, DTR has different routes at each run. The different routes are designed so that we can accommodate runners of different speeds and still start/finish at about the same time. See more info on choosing the appropriate route for you.
Difficulty Rating (1-5 scale, 5 being the most difficult)
Physical: 5
Technical: 4
Navigational: 3
The lower lot of White Ranch is quite popular with bikers and hikers, but is very challenging. After an easy start, it's a long uphill climb, no matter which route you take. The trails are great, but be prepared for a hard run.
Weather and Seasons
The lower part of the Belcher Hill trail is exposed, so dries fairly quickly after rain/snow. Whippletree, Longhorn, Shorthorn, and the upper trails are shaded and N facing, so will hold snow and moisture a lot longer. They're fine to run on when snow packed. However, the soil has a lot of clay and can be very thick and sticky when wet. DTR's policy is to stay off the trails when they're wet. There have been mountain lion sightings (and probably thousands more where they weren't seen but they saw the runners/hikers), so use caution when running alone, especially around sunset.
Driving Directions
From hwy 93 in Golden, go W on 56th. The entrance to the large dirt lot is to the right, 1.2mi up.
http://g.co/maps/twc48
Running Routes
These routes are intended to take 1:20-1:30.
All levels head up Belcher Hill. Go through the gate, down the hill, and across the road. The next section is the most technical, flat, but through a rock garden. The trail is smooth through a short rise, then flat section. It drops steeply and crosses a creek before the real climbing begins. At 1.7mi, take the first right onto Whippletree. Blue arrow, all routes.
- Level 1, Green arrows: From Whippletree, take the next left at Longhorn, to Belcher Hill, then back down to the finish. S-1-2-8-9-1-S. ~5.7mi. If you don't think you can complete this in ~1:30, then please just turn around somewhere on the Whippletree or Belcher Hill trails, at about 45-50 minutes, and return the same way.
- Level 2, Orange arrows: From Whippletree, right at Longhorn. It first drops, then climbs very steeply. Take next left onto Shorthorn, to Belcher Hill, then back to the finish.S-1-2-3-8-9-1-S. ~6.8mi.
- Level 3, Red arrows: Stay right at Shorthorn, and continue climbing up Longhorn to the next junction. Go left onto Maverick, a rolling mile, to Belcher Hill. Go left down Belcher Hill to the finish. S-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-1-S. ~7.9mi.
- Level 4, Purple arrows: Continue climbing up Longhorn past Maverick. Stay left at the forks 1/4mi above Maverick, past the bathrooms, to the upper lot. Take the Sawmill trail, from the S side of the lot, down to Belcher Hill, then continue down to the finish. S-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-1-S. ~8.2mi.
- Level 5, Purple dashed arrows, optional: To add more distance, from the upper lot, go right up the steep road for 1/3mi. Take the first left up the steep single track. At the top, take the first left onto Belcher Hill. Follow the trail down until it merges with Sawmill, then continue down Belcher Hill to the finish. S-1-2-3-4-5-10-11-6-7-9-1-S. ~9.0mi.
Start from Upper Lot
Difficulty Rating (1-5 scale, 5 being the most difficult)
Physical: 3
Technical: 3
Navigational: 3.5
The upper lot of White Ranch takes us away from the heat of the city, and away from runs that start uphill. The upper trails are rolling and shaded. It's a longer drive, ~20 min from Golden, but worth it.
Weather and Seasons
The upper trails are mainly for warm & dry seasons. They can be fun and challenging when there's enough snow and it's fairly fresh, but sloppy otherwise. There have been mountain lion sightings (and probably thousands more where they weren't seen but they saw the runners/hikers), so use caution when running alone, especially around sunset.
Driving Directions
From hwy 93 in Golden, go W up Golden Gate Canyon Rd for 3.8mi. Just past the Grange Hall, turn right onto Crawford Gulch. Go 4mi. At the top of the second hill, turn rt onto Belcher Hill Rd. Go 1.75mi, to the lot at the bottom, at the end of the road.
http://g.co/maps/u35y4
On Thursday nights, DTR has different routes at each run. The different routes are designed so that we can accommodate runners of different speeds and still start/finish at about the same time. See more info on choosing the appropriate route for you.