10 Mile Clay Loop - Clermont, Florida

Don't Google it. What ever you do, DON'T Google it!

Nick Saban is a tool wrote:

Planning to be in Orlando in October and have heard about the 10 mile Clay Loop trail. I know the Hanson's group trains on this loop in the winter, as do other top runners.

Anyone with knowledge about this . . . can you advise as to where to park? I'll be coming from the Universal Studios area.

Thank you in advance for your help.

You park AT the clay loop. The entrance is from the high way, you drive like 500 ft on the clay and you will probably see dozens of cars.

Road names are Hw 27 to N Bradshaw Rd, and the original clay loop route starts at 5 mile road.

You need a permit to run on this trail from 4pm - 7pm during weekday hours. If you don't have a permit, expect me to pull up in my SUV and take pictures of you. I will turn these pictures into the city, and you can expect a call from them.

Soccer Coachy wrote:

You need a permit to run on this trail from 4pm - 7pm during weekday hours. If you don't have a permit, expect me to pull up in my SUV and take pictures of you. I will turn these pictures into the city, and you can expect a call from them.

lol nice

I am sure the loop is nice, but Clermont is getting near an area that many consider "White Trash Mecca"-an area of Florida that runs from New Port Richey in the South to Leesburg in the North. If you stray to the North or to the West of Clermont it is a very depressing and dangerous area. I had to visit Leesburg on a business trip and as a healthy runner you will stick out. It is not unusual to see a pregnant woman (heavily tatted) smoking away. And in the 2000's, I saw several billboards for drive in pain clinics off of I-75 (yes, billboards). The oxytocin crisis remains in this area today. The saving grace is that if you go North or East lodging is cheap.

tlm1959 wrote:

The oxytocin crisis remains in this area today.

are these guys known to produce more of the hormone involved in reproduction and social bonding than other parts of the country? and what are the basic problems presented by the crisis--just too much monogamy and too many babies? it does sound grisly

tlm1959 wrote:

I am sure the loop is nice, but Clermont is getting near an area that many consider "White Trash Mecca"-an area of Florida that runs from New Port Richey in the South to Leesburg in the North. If you stray to the North or to the West of Clermont it is a very depressing and dangerous area. I had to visit Leesburg on a business trip and as a healthy runner you will stick out. It is not unusual to see a pregnant woman (heavily tatted) smoking away. And in the 2000's, I saw several billboards for drive in pain clinics off of I-75 (yes, billboards). The oxytocin crisis remains in this area today. The saving grace is that if you go North or East lodging is cheap.

Unless there are quite a few pregnant women nursing, I'm sure you mean oxycodone.

Interesting. I didn't know Florida had rolling hills..

https://static.rootsrated.com/image/upload/s---N3JNTSo--/t_rr_large_traditional/obfts2v7e2vmqgdgsxw6.jpg

bartholomew_maxwell wrote:

Interesting. I didn't know Florida had rolling hills..

The clay loop itself actually isn't THAT hilly, but if you run in Clermont on the bike trails or in the city you can get some HUGE elevation. Some of the steepest streets I've seen for hill repeats are in Clermont, and even at decent length.

Another place that's hillier than the Clay Loop is Louisa State Park which is RIGHT next to it.

I did a winter camp in Clermont, only downside was the hot temperatures. Even in December and January it was regularly in the 80s (actually wanted to go to a warm place to escape the cold winter of Michigan and Chicago but was hoping more for 70F).

Also for cycling you can get decent elevation near Clermont, the highest point is Sugarloaf Mountain and while it's not as mountainous as CA or CO elevation adds up from the constant up down up down etc..

Bump

Dude. There is no HUGE elevation in Florida.