Golden Hill Red Loop

Dogs Unknown

Features Fall Colors

This loop is a fun loop that offers plenty of variety with some climbing, and a range of surfaces from smooth singletrack, to roots, and a few rock sections.

The usual place to park is the small lot at the intersection of Golden Hill Rd. and Fire Lane Rd. (both dirt roads). There you'll find the DEC state forest sign.

To start the run, head northeast on Fire Lane Rd. about a 100 yards or so and find the singletrack heading off to the right. Take that and find yourself on a scenic smooth widing trail, although in some places the trail squeezes between some closely spaced trees. This pleasant rolling singletrack continues for a while until it joins an old grassy lane that heads pretty much straight uphill.

Climb up this until you see an old abandoned two-wheeled trailer of some sort. You could continue straight on a connector that bails out to the road, but you won't. Instead, you take a right for a fun downhill that eventually levels off as it heads for the dirt Chapman Rd. (reaching the road through an informal campsite).

Cross the road making the slightest of jogs downhill and head back into the woods. This part of the trail follows an old skid trail but again, mostly reverted to singletrack. It climbs slightly until you reach the top, and then the trail heads left onto narrower singletrack.

This section is another fun rolling section with lots of variety. Soon, you come to a spruce grove as you head left and climb up to Fire Lane Rd.

When you reach the road, head right for a very short bit looking for the trail on your left. Pick this up and start back on the singletrack. This section has a spruce grove with some nasty roots, but they end soon enough.

After you see the blue loop start on your right, the red loop continues around the edge of another spruce grove eventually almost returing to Fire lane. It then darts downhill and climbs back up on a section that can sometimes be wet.

After the blue loop rejoins, you'll soon see a bailout connector to the road on your left. Instead, continue straight for one of the best sections.

The trail ends with a climb up through some scenic red pines before ending on Fire Lane Rd. opposite from where you started.