How I PICK and PLAN a MOUNTAIN RUNNING ROUTE!

There's nothing I love more than getting out for a full day of trail running in the mountains, so I thought I'd take some time to talk about how I choose a trail running route and plan for a full day on the trail. Things like the number of folks I'll be running with, the time of year I'm headed out, what I want to see along the way, and how long I want to spend on the trail all go into picking my trail running route. Once I decide those things, I talk to friends, look at maps and read trip reports to get a sense of what I'm signing myself up for. Watch the video to see my planning process in action!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I've been trail running for several years now, but I still don't always get it right! This route was a ton of fun, but it ended up taking a lot longer than I thought. Luckily, I try to always go in prepared, so the extra hours on trail just meant bonus mountain time.

But what about y'all? How do you go about picking and planning a trail running route? Are there any trails I should put on my list? Let me know in the comments!

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This is an REI Co-op Studios production!
Producer: Braden Van Dragt
Director: Amy Enser
Editor: Eric Munch

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