Chehaw Challenge Trail Race

Race - Jan 25, 2020

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Lake · Wildlife

Originally a mountain bike trail, it is multiuse, with walkers, riders of all abilities, and trail runners.

Trail run registration can be found here:

There is a bathroom at the Mountain bike trailhead and one at the nearby playground. Additionally, the trail loops close to a campground restroom at about mile 4. There is an entrance fee of $3.50 for adults and $2.00 for children. There is a neat zoo in the park with tickets being extra. Check chehaw.org for specifics.

One note of caution is copperhead fall mating season is typically late August to early October and they have been spotted along the trail.

There is water access at the trailhead only. The upland areas have less roots than the lower area, although it is very runnable/rideable for all skill levels.

Because of the twists and turns, a full loop around the Chehaw Trail measures about 10 miles! You can access the trailhead near the BMX track where you'll see a large sign that read, "Mountain Bike Trailhead." There are also restroom facilities at the trailhead and a bike washing station adjacent to the small storage building.

The trail starts heading east down a doubletrack and immediately turns left into singletrack. The trail is mostly smooth 12-15 inches of singletrack with a 4-6 foot corridor cut into the surrounding shrubbery. The northeast portion of the trail meanders through tall pine trees with grass areas that are maintained by controlled burns by the park manager. The trail has very little elevation change.

The northeast corner of the park meanders into the spooky trail with features that are popular with mountain bikers. As you approach the western portion of the park you head past the zoo and down the zoo fence line, which is very rooty. This leads you along the Muckalee Creek and into the more dense wooded area where the trail gets more loamy.

After traversing the Muckalee Creek, the trail brings you back out into a mile-long section of trail under tall pines where vegetation is managed by controlled burns. After that, it's back into a heavily wooded section with loamy dirt. You'll cross the park road near the ticket booth and head on back to the trailhead.

From upland forests to lowland swampy areas, Chehaw has a wide variety of trees, birds, and wildlife. It is not uncommon to see deer, gopher tortoises, lizards, a variety of snakes, foxes, armadillos, and the occasional otter.