Best trail town/cities on east coast?

Doesn’t really exist

Crap weather, tons of rain, snow, lack of maintenance turns most east coast trails into a slopfest

And when the trails are in good condition, it’s 100 degrees with 100% humidity and there’s bugs everywhere. Basically the only good times to run at during the fall and even then it’s dicey

Having said that... I would say Charlottesville VA is the best out there. Maybe Asheville NC.

West coast is supreme for trails - spend some time in the Bay Area, Colorado, Utah, etc and you’ll understand what I mean.

Amazing trail systems, tons of options, huge hills, and ideal running conditions basically year round

North Carolina

Don't listen to people when they say that the east has nothing in regards to mountain running. Keene, NY is an amazing little town located right near some of the high peaks. It's a small town but absolutely beautiful. Winter training is tough but doing a lot of XC Skiing is a great way to stay in shape when the treadmill gets old. I live in CO now but always miss the east coast trails in the summertime.

Thanks for responses so far! Would like some more input..anyone else??

I'd agree with Keene, NY or other small Adirondack / White Mountain towns. Winters are tough, but the summers make up for it and those trails will beat you up more than most anything out west. I've run a lot in the Adirondacks and just recently moved to Utah. Trails here are great, what's not great is the smoke from wildfires 100s of miles away.

One thing Chicago ( or Chicago suburbs ) has over a lot of cities: Chicago has tons of forest preserves with unpaved or paved trails that run through them.

In NYC, its either find somewhere upstate, or run through prospect park/ central park. It's quite limiting.

I have pretty much travelled everywhere around the country and I feel that Jackson, Mississippi is by far the greatest place for running. Great trails, nice tracks, competitive runners and races, the best shoe store, and humidity, which is just as effective as altitude- and it makes you tough as nails.

I've heard form others who have been to the Lake Placid/Keene area of the Adirondacks that it is a awesome place. The winters do seem a little rough, but snowshoeing/cross country skiing can be pretty good forms of cross training for running. Besides Keene/Lake Placid, any other areas of the Adirondacks that are worth checking out?

New Paltz

- Mohonk Preserve/Minnewaska State park has a 100+ mile of trail system.

- Peaks are 2k-ish ft.

- Strong trailrunning community including annual 50 mi race (

http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/rock-the-ridge/rock-the-ridge.html

)

- 1.5hrs from NYC airports

- SUNY New Paltz has a outdoor track open to the public

Running aside, the downtown has some cool restaurants/bars.

Ithaca

Pittsburgh is like a giant forest. One of the largest trail systems in the US. Plus we're on a plateau, so less snow.

The toughest part is putting him near mountains +airport. I agree upstate NY in the Adirondacks is good and Keene is probably the best town for it. Puts him under two hours to Albany. Only problem is you're an hour away from anything that can be considered civilization.

Asheville NC if you actually want civilization.

Agree with New Paltz and would add that it puts you 45min from the Catskills which give you plenty of peaks 3-4k in height

I only lived there for one year, but Charlottesville Virginia is an amazing place for running. Has a great Community with Charlottesville Track Club and Crozet running. Weather is pretty cold and gray during the winter and it is humid during the Spring and Summer but has great trails and they put on a bunch of great races out there. Also overall just a great place to live particularly if you have a family.

NPZ wrote:

New Paltz

- Mohonk Preserve/Minnewaska State park has a 100+ mile of trail system.

- Peaks are 2k-ish ft.

- Strong trailrunning community including annual 50 mi race (

http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/rock-the-ridge/rock-the-ridge.html

)

- 1.5hrs from NYC airports

- SUNY New Paltz has a outdoor track open to the public

Running aside, the downtown has some cool restaurants/bars.

I second New Paltz. The trails in the Gunks are an incredible resource. Huge network of gorgeous carriage roads and rugged singletrack, plus lakes and streams for swimming post-run.

The Catskills are an hour away if you wanna slog uphill. NYC is close if you want culture.

The running community is large and diverse. The local club puts on some fun events, including a summer XC series and weekly track workouts. There's a big ultra crowd, and there has also been a core of elites based in town in recent years, including Harbert Okuti, Girma Mecheso, and Lindsey Scherf.

Manchester, NH

Portland, ME

Concord, NH

Burlington, VT

Manchester, VT

Hanover, NH

Black Mountain, North Carolina

Point by point.

-Proximity/easy access to large trail network

Trails are easily accessible and plentiful. Black Mountain and neighboring Montreat sit at the feet of the Black Mountains, a range with many peaks in excess of 6,000 feet (the highest your going to find east of the Mississippi)

- Is located in/very close to mountainous terrain (with 3-5k ft peaks a plus)

See above. Mount Mitchell (the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi at 6700 ft) is within running distance of Black Mountain: a hard twenty miles.

- Has a existent running community

Definitely exists and is bolstered by neighboring communities in Brevard and Asheville. Black Mountain hosts the Black Mountain Marathon and the 40-mile Mt Mitchell Challenge each February which attracts a fairly deep talent pool.

- Within a couple hours from an airport

Asheville has a small regional airport. Charlotte-Douglas is roughly 2 hours away and can get you almost anywhere.

Bottom line: If you are interested in trail running and especially interested in serious vert on the East Coast, Black Mountain is the ticket. The Adirondacks and the White Mountains in New Hampshire could give it a run for its money, though the winters are less hospitable. Differences in culture are also fairly pronounced.

Check out Chattanooga, TN.

Lots and lots of awesome trails (Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, etc.) fairly low cost of living, big outdoor culture, great city to live in. Smaller but still stuff to do. I know it's arbitrary/basically meaningless but we've won Outside Magazine's best town ever twice. There's cool trail races around here also.

And it's 2 hours to Knoxville, Nashville, Birmingham, or Atlanta. And just 3 hours to the Smokies and Asheville.

UltraTrail wrote:

What are your favorite(s) trail towns/cities east of the Mississippi?

Some criteria I'm looking for in my own search is:

- Proximity/easy access to large trail network

- Is located in/very close to mountainous terrain (with 3-5k ft peaks a plus)

- Has a existent running community

- Within a couple hours from an airport

Looking forward to hearing what your favorites are! Thanks in advance.

The Western Maine mountains, IE Rangeley Lakes/Sugarloaf areas. Have to use bug spray in the summer but late spring and fall is perfect. Winter is XC Skiing/fat tire bike nirvana.