Day Creek

This page is setup as a Roanoke Valley Trail Runners challenge   If you aren’t familiar with this group, follow the link and check out their Facebook Page.  Chances are you will find a friend and a few local options for group trail runs.

To be included in the results for the challenge you will need to post your result or Strava link to the Facebook event page.

Day Creek Day Use Area is a great place to get in some backcountry miles and elevation.  To see more information of the Glenwood Horse Trail check out it’s page https://mountainjunkies.net/glenwood-horse-trail/

From the Day Creek Day Use parking lot off of HWY 460 on Camp Jaycee Road.  From this large parking lot you can run a number of routes – Google Map Link

Small –  Run up the road for 2.3 miles for a hard short distance out and back. This is around 4.65 miles and 1213ft of climbing – MAP

Official Start – the gate at the bottom of Black Horse Gap Road
Turnaround – the gate at the top, just before the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Finish – Gate at the bottom of Black Horse Gap

Medium – Run up the road for 2.3 miles, cross the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and then head right, or north, on the AT until the second overlook, on the south side of the BRP.  From this overlook, head back on the BRP about .3-.4 miles to Spec Mines trail.  This will take you on a great 2 mile descent down to a gravel forest service road where you will take a left.  Follow that for 2.5 miles and then head left/up at the 4-way intersection and you will be headed back up to the BRP.  Once there cross the road and head down for the 2.3 miles you ran at the beginning.  This is around 13.2 miles and 2970ft of climbing – MAP

Official Start – the gate at the bottom of Black Horse Gap Road
Finish – Gate at the bottom of Black Horse Gap

Large – Run up the road for 2.3 miles, cross the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and then head right, or north, on the AT until the second overlook on the south side of the BRP.  From this overlook, head back on the BRP about .3-.4 miles to Spec Mines trail.  This will take you on a great 2 mile descent down the a gravel forest service road where you will take a right.  Follow this gravel road for 3.25 miles until you come to Hammond Hollow Trail on your right.  This is a short steep trail that will take you to the AT.  Go left, north on the AT to a fire road, take a right, up the hill and under the BRP and follow this road for 2.6 miles until the Horse Trail turns off to the right (pay attention at 2.6 miles, this can be tricky to find.  It is an orange blazed trail going off to the right, in a left hand curve).  Take this section of horse trail 5.5 miles back to Day Creek.  This is around 19.25 miles and 3840ft of climbing – MAP

Official Start – the gate at the bottom of Black Horse Gap Road
Finish – where the trail ends at the gravel road (Black Horse Gap Road)

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