Ohiopyle Falls & Trails Trilogy Marathon

Race - Oct 13, 2019

Dogs No Dogs

Features Fall Colors · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers

The Ohiopyle Falls & Trails Trilogy Marathon runs you on two separate loops consisting of the singletrack of Beech Trail, Jonathan Run Trail, Kentuck Trail, Sugarloaf Trail and Baughman Trail, connecting the technical single tracks with just two miles of rail trail and three miles of dirt road. Running past two overlooks of the Yough River valley, racers will experience rock gardens, roots, mud, creeks, foot bridges and the majesty of the 18-foot Ohiopyle Falls, where the race begins and ends.

Begin at the Falls Overlook area in Ohiopyle State Park. Run from the Falls Overlook upstream. At 0.1 miles, bear right at Falls Market, and then make the very first left to get on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a doubletrack, flat rail trail. Make a right to run on the GAP for about a quarter mile until you see the Baughman Trail and Sugarloaf Trail trailhead signs. Follow Sugarloaf Trail and climb for about 3.7 miles until you come out on a dirt road. Make a left on the dirt road for a quarter mile until you get to a three-way intersection with a paved road and another dirt road, Presley Ridge Road. Take Presley Ridge Road for less than a quarter mile and bear left onto Sarver Road. You'll climb Sarver Road for 2.5 miles. Near the end of the dirt road when you see the paved Sugarloaf road, take a left onto Sugarloaf Trail, the singletrack again, and follow it for one mile, descending the Sugarloaf Sledding Hill to pass two big parking lots on your right (aid stations will be here). Descend a narrow trail amongst tall grasses for one mile until you see the Baughman Trail sign. Make a right to follow Baughman Trail, crossing the paved Sugarloaf road to access the singletrack of baughman. You'll run amongst large boulders, over some small bridges and streams and pass by Baughman Overlook on your right. Once you reach Baughman Overlook, you'll be at about mile nine of the marathon course. Descend for 2.5 more miles into Ohiopyle, where you'll come out on the GAP around mile 11.5.

Once you're on the GAP, run across two high bridges over the Yough River. At about mile 12 (you'll see course marshals here), turn left where it says "Campground" and quickly turn right to enter Beech Trail. You'll see official state park sign for Beech, which runs parallel to the GAP. At about mile 14, when you come to a T in the trail at a stream, turn right and scramble down a bank back to the GAP. Run 1.7 miles on the GAP. At about mile 15.7ish, you'll see the signs for Jonathan Run. Turn left to follow Jonathan Run trail, along the creek, for a 2.6 total there and back. Runners must run all the way to the Jonathan Run parking area, where you'll have a MANDATORY check-in (mile 17 for marathoners), and then turn around. Runners who do not check in here will receive a DNF. Make a tight righthand turn to follow Kentuck Trail, straight uphill for 3/4 miles until you get to the campground, where you'll come out onto a paved campground road near a parking lot. Bear right as soon as you exit the singletrack onto the paved road briefly to pass a parking lot on your right, running through the four-way intersection to the edge of the woods on the other side and connect to Kentuck Trail.

Run to Tharpe Knob overlook! When you get to Tharpe Knob, you'll exit the woods into grass where you'll see a playground and pavilions, which is Tharpe Knob Picnic Area. Stay in the grass, along the tree line, turning right to run along the trees to the wide uphill path leading to the overlook. At the overlook you'll hit the 20ish mile mark. Run down the fitness trail for about half a mile to connect back to Kentuck Trail. Turn left on Kentuck Trail. Run 1.8 miles until you see the sign for Great Gorge. Make a right at the Great Gorge sign and run mostly downhill for 1.5 miles until you get to the GAP again. Continue across the high bridges, cross the main road and make your way back to the start/finish area.

Mountain laurel, rhododendron, spruce, oaks, poplars, maples, ferns and fall colors.