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enough for now
There are lots of great places to run nearby, and you don't have to be on the [[Cross Country Running|cross country]] or [[Nordic Ski Team|ski team]] to enjoy them. Here is a good mix of both tried-and-true runs and lesser-known runs. All distances depend on where you start on campus; routes can vary in distance by up to a mile depending on whether you start at [[Carter House|Carter]] or [[Fitch House|Fitch]].
==Runs from Campus==
Most of the great places to run are reachable by foot.
===Cemetery===
Go down Rt. 2 towards North Adams for about a half mile until you see Linear Park (a road that looks like a driveway) on your left. Turn down this road, which turns to dirt almost immediately, until you find a bunch of trails. Pick whichever trails suit your fancy; they mostly go either through the woods or through fields, and one of them leads to the trailer park with the lions. You can do many loops, or go out and back, so distances vary.
Distance: 2.5+ miles ===Hopkins Forest Short===Run along Rt. 7 north for about half a mile until you see Bulkley Street going uphill on your left. Go up Bulkley, and at the top, turn right. Under 100 meters later, you will see the entrance to Hopkins Forest on your left. Go in the entrance, and then face your decision: either go straight up the steep way, or go right and go up the more gradual way. [[Diana Davis|This author]]'s preferred route is to go straight up the steep part, then come back down the gradual way. Whichever you choose, you will eventually get to a four-4 way intersection. Since you are doing Hopkins Forest Short, simply take the path back down. If you feel especially chipper, add on the 2.5-mile upper loop (see [[#Hopkins Forest Long|the longer run]] below). Distance: 5.5 miles
===Blair===
Distance: 5.6 miles
===Gale-Blair===
Go up Rt. 2 to the traffic circle and turn left, towards [[Garfield House|Garfield]] and the [[Clark Art Museum|Clark]]. Follow this road past the golf course, up a hill and down the other side, and then when you intersect Rt. 43 in a T, turn right and follow it for about half a mile, until you see Blair Road on your left. Blair is paved for about 100 meters, then turns into dirt and goes up three hills in a row, culminating in a gorgeous view across fields to the beautiful mountains and the little college in the valley. Then it's all downhill. When you meet Rt. 2 in a T, turn left, which will bring you right back to campus. Fun fact: [[Diana Davis]] once did this run three times in a row, without stopping.
===Blair-Luce===
Run down Water Street and continue for about two miles until you see Blair Road on your left. Blair is paved for about 100 meters, then turns into dirt and goes up three hills in a row, culminating in a gorgeous view across fields to the beautiful mountains and the little college in the valley. From the top of the hill, it's about a half mile downhill, then turn right onto Longview Terrace. Work your way through the residential development until you intersect Luce Road in a T; then turn left onto Luce Road (or see alternative), and when you get to Rt. 2 in a T, turn left to return to campus.
Distance: 7 miles
Alternative: Turn right onto Luce and follow it up, up, up to the top of [[Mount Greylock]].
Distance: 15 miles (one way)
===Stone Hill===
Go down Water Street for about two miles until you see a steep road called Scott Hill Road on your right. Go up the hill and after a few hundred meters you will see a road to your right. This turns into dirt and becomes more like a trail. Follow this road until you get to [[Stone Bench]]. Then either go straight or turn left; both ways take you down the hill with the cows to the [[Clark Art Museum|Clark]]. '''Remember to latch the gates behind you.''' Turn left out of the Clark driveway, which will take you to the traffic circle and back to campus.
Distance: 7 .5 miles (?) ===Hopkins Forest Long===Run along Rt. 7 north for about half a mile until you see Bulkley Street going uphill on your left. Go up Bulkley, and at the top, turn right. Under 100 meters later, you will see the entrance to Hopkins Forest on your left. Hopkins Forest paths are shaped like a figure-8, so you have 2x2=4 different ways to do your run. The first choice is to either go straight up the steep way, or go right and go up the more gradual way. Either way, you will eventually get to a four-way intersection. There, you can once again turn right or left to choose your desired orientation for the upper loop. [[Diana Davis|This author]]'s preferred route is to go straight up the steep part, then go around the upper loop counter-clockwise, and come back down the gradual side of the lower loop. Distance: 8 miles
===Mountain Meadow===
Run along Rt. 7 towards Bennington north for about two miles. The road curves to the left, with the [[Restaurants#Chef's Hat|Chef's Hat]] restaurant inside the curve. Do not curve to the left; instead, take the dirt road to the right on the outside of the curve. Cross the little parking lot and follow the trail up, up, up through the field and gaze at the gorgeous view. Then follow the path into the woods. Eventually the path turns into more like a road. At intersections, follow the signs that will take you to Vermont. You will go downhill a lot, and eventually end up on North Hoosac Road. When you get to the bridge that is Cole Avenue, turn right and either go up Cole Avenue to campus, or turn right shortly after crossing the bridge and go up Cole Field to campus.
Note: These directions are not very good and you might get lost if you follow them. However, the view at the top of the meadow is worth it.
Distance: 9 miles (?)
===Bee Hill - Oblong===
Not for the faint of heart, but great for those who prefer dirt roads. Follow Rt. 7 south for about half a mile until you see Bee Hill Road, a dirt road going uphill on the right. Go up, up, up Bee Hill (the hill is about a mile long, and quite steep). At the top of the hill, turn left and go about a half mile until you see Torrey Woods Road on the right. Take this for a very short time and then turn left on Oblong Road. Follow Oblong (which is all dirt) until you hit Rt. 43; turn left onto Rt 43, which will take you to [[Five Corners]]. There you can choose whether to take Rt. 7 or Rt. 43 back to campus; Rt. 7 is shorter but has more traffic.
Distance: 11 miles (?)
==Runs to drive to==
Of course, you ''could'' run to them, but why would you want to? The good part is when you get there.
===Mount Hope===
Drive down Water Street about 2.5 miles until the road curves sharply to the right. Don't curve sharply to the right; go straight, across a small bridge, and park in the parking lot. The trail is to the right, and leads you through the woods up to the beautiful roads of [[Mount Hope Farm]]. Run around, out and back, up and around, find the nice trail through the woods, and look forward to [[Senior Week]].
Distance: 3+ miles
===Oblong===
Drive to Mt. Greylock Regional High School, park in the parking lot, and then go back out the driveway. Turn left and then turn left again on the first road you get to, Woodcock Road. Keep turning left and follow Oblong (don't turn left onto Sloane Road unless you want to cut off distance) until you get to Rt. 43; turn left and go to Five Corners; then bear straight/left up Rt. 7, up the hill and then turn left back into the parking lot.
Distance: 4 miles
