I have always wanted to drive up this road but every time I went, it was closed (it's only open in the summer Thurs-Sun). So I decided that I would run it. It was quite possibly the most enjoyable run I have done. I balked a bit at the RT length of 18 miles, but it was one of the most gradual inclines and an easy road well-kept road (no rocks, steps or roots!) so I just kept going and going up to the visitor center. For some reason I was thinking it was going to be closed and I would have it all to myself, but it wasn't and there were hundreds of cars crawling up it. Some very nice people saying hi and asking if I needed a lift back I could ride with them. Chatted a bit with a guy driving with a LV100 sticker on the back of his truck. The funniest thing someone asked when I was almost at the top was if I wanted a fag (cigarette...they were British). That really made me laugh the rest of the way. I stopped for a few minutes just to take a picture from the visitor center then went back. Going down, as always, was a nice break and up until the last 3-4 miles, felt effortless, though by the end I just wanted to get back to the car! Heard an Elk bugling too which I was hoping to hear. My timer was just hitting 4:19 minutes when I got back after running 18.6 miles, climbing and then descending 4798 feet (max elev. 11768 feet above sea level).
GPS map
Here are some more photos I snapped from my Android phone.
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| A few of the 16 switch-backs |
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| Heading towards the visitor center |
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