For years now, I've driven by Glendale Farms Open Space along I-25, wondering all the while what the trail system was like and how it would work as a running route.
So, I finally paid a visit. And I very nearly pitched the idea of doing an article about running here into the recycle bin.
I pulled up to Glendale Farm Open Space this morning and discovered a piece of what I first deemed to be very bad news--the trail system is a whopping 1.6 miles (and that 1.6 total includes a short spur trail--so the actual loop is more like an even 1.5 miles). Yes, you could make an eight-mile run out of it, but at some point before the fifth circuit around the trail, the place would lose its charm and allure. Granted, even without the charm-and-allure factor, it's still better than running eight miles of city streets and sidewalks, but we'd just as soon not sacrifice the charm-and-allure factor if we don't have to.
Then it dawned on me: nowhere is it written that a good training run has to go at least, say, six miles. Don't we do all sorts of different things--and many of them not nearly six miles--on quality days?
Glendale Farm Open Space would work splendidly as a cruise interval (see the Daniels Book of Running for an explanation) workout. You could do a little warm-up running, step on the trail for a circuit, chill for a minute or so, and then whip around the trail--possibly the opposite direction this time--for a second circuit. Depending on your threshold speed, that should put you in the vicinity of 20 minutes, with 10 to 15 minutes of cool-down running remaining. If you need more workout, a third circuit beckons.
And the beauty of the circuit idea is that you could come back later, run the same workout, and easily measure your progress by the elapsed times on the circuits.
Having just done the entire Glendale Farm Open Space circuit this morning at a leisurely pace, I can promise that I would enjoy it a lot as a cruise interval kind of circuit.
So, what is the charm and allure of Glendale Farm Open Space?
Aside from the muffled noise of I-25, the property has a surprisingly away-from-it-all kind of feel. The trail is rarely flat, but the uphill and downhill sections are relatively short and easily managed. Many points of the trail are single track, but there are extended sections where runners could easily travel two abreast. The trail winds repeatedly in and out of stands of scrub oak and mountain mahogany and all the while through native grasses. Grasshoppers bail out en masse ahead of you. The high (east) side of the trail offers expansive views in every direction.
A massive prairie dog town abuts the east side of the loop. I did a couple quick scans for Burrowing Owls, but my optimism there got skunked. The prairie dogs mostly ignore you and continue about their business of denuding the landscape as you pass by. It would, however, be a veritable picnic if a couple Ferruginous Hawks ever decided to set up shop there for a summer.
The property is accessed off of the Castle Pines Parkway exit off I-25 between Castle Rock and south Denver. Go east to the first exit (South Havana Street) and turn north. Travel about two miles and the open space area will be along the east side of the road. A large parking lot awaits you at the trailhead. You can also access the property from Ridgegate Parkway to the north. In that case, you would travel about two miles south on South Havana.
It should be noted that about 80 or 90 percent of the visitors to this open space area come for the dog park. So, when you arrive and see a critical mass of canines, it's not the same matter for concern for runners that it normally would be. The dogs have their part of the open space, and you have yours.
That said, there is still potential for user conflict if you're running on the trail and other folks are walking on the trail. Please keep a vigilant eye out for these potential conflicts and leave Colorado's running community with a good name if you decide to go there and make a workout of it. It's okay to pause for a moment and let people going the opposite direction go by; our workouts do not trump the right of other individuals to enjoy these properties. If you arrive at a time when lots of people are hiking, please just simply bag the idea of a workout. From what I've been able to ascertain, however, weekday traffic on the trail is pretty light, even if it is a different story at the adjacent doggie park.
The trail is mostly hard-packed dirt with an occasional rock appearing in the middle of the trail. If you were careless, you could turn an ankle, but the trail does not qualify as technical, even in its roughest sections. That's an important thing to note if you're pondering a quality workout there.
Information signs at the open space warn of rattlesnakes. While I can't say that rattlesnakes are either more or less common here than any other rural setting along the Front Range, their presence should make for good motivation to stay on the trail. Douglas County open space regulations also stipulate that you stay on the trail.
Douglas County website page for Glendale Farm Open Space