SAN ANGELO, TX -- San Angelo’s newest walking and running path joins a long list of favorite locations to spend some time outdoors.
According to the San Angelo Road Lizards website, “San Angelo is rich with running opportunities. Asphalt or train, urban or in the wild, the choice is yours.”
The San Angelo Road Lizards (SARL) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to support running as a recreation and competitive sport and as healthful exercise for the residents of San Angelo and the Concho Valley.
The Red Arroyo Trail is a 14 ft wide concrete path that runs from Knickerbocker Rd. near the Johnson St. intersection along the arroyo across Sul Ross St. and College Hills Blvd to Sherwood Way including a section by Unidad Park on Vista Del Arroyo. There are parking areas on Sul Ross, Millbrook Dr. at College Hills and at Unidad Park. Art in Uncommon Places has several sculptures and pieces of artwork placed along the trail enhancing the outdoor experience.
The Red Arroyo Trail joins other favorite spots for runners, bicyclist and walkers. Another popular spot is the KOA loop which is Hillside Dr. at Knickerbocker Rd. The two mile loop has great views and just enough hills for beginners and advanced runners alike. SARL lists the KOA as “a great place to run multiple laps and get that hill workout in.”
Also at Lake Nasworthy is Mary Lee Park just past the bridge on Knickerbocker Rd. Mary Lee Park has a sand beach and swim area and is popular with area tri-athletes. Runners can take Fishermen’s Rd from Mary Lee Park and run through Spring Creek Park, take Spillway Rd back to Knickerbocker Rd and complete a six mile loop back to Mary Lee Park.
Middle Creek Park is also at Lake Nasworthy at the end of Red Bluff Rd. The park has approximately 20 miles of dirt hiking and running trails and leads on to the Twin Buttes area. SARL holds trail series runs and night runs there.
Another favorite spot for running, walking and hiking is the San Angelo State Park on FM 2288 just outside San Angelo. The park has entrances on the south shore and north shore and there are numerous running and hiking trails available.
O.C. Fischer Dam is another popular walking and running path. The entrance to the dam is on Mercedes St just down from Glenna St. it is a six and a half mile smooth, flat paved surface on top of the dam that is closed to traffic.
In the heart of downtown San Angelo is the San Angelo River Walk. It’s a soft surface route that follows the Concho River 8 miles from Bell St to 19th St. There’s plenty of parking near the Celebration Bridge and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
For more information on running or walking locations check out the SARL website, www.roadlizards.org.
Comments
Two comments: First, the Red Arroyo trail is a terrible place to run if you value your knees - there's simply too much impact when running on hard concrete. The city's designer rejected a suggestion to have a smooth dirt or crushed gravel running path parallel to the concrete. Secondly, there's a much better and more detailed listing of bike and run routes posted at http://bcullins.blogspot.com/2016/02/places-to-bike-run-and-walk-in-san.html. That listing includes links to maps, not just the name of an area.
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