Red Bug Trail Reverse

Note: 2013 proposed revisions mapped below. A 14 Nov 2011 anti-clockwise walk around this ~4M loop. 16 Nov 2011 measurement ride had it as 6560m/4.08M. A 22 Nov 2011 ride had it as 6540m. GPS track recorded during this photo tour gave distance as 3430m/2.13M. I hope none of you pay much attention to distances recorded by 2011 consumer GPS devices. This particular track may have set my record for under-recording distance. Red Bug Trail is located within Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park. The trail may be considered tight and technical, though it includes lots of easy riding. Twenty-plus years of erosion on a trail with plenty of fall line build is going to uncover more and more roots. My suggestion to folks intimidated by climbing or descending through tight and/or rooty areas? Start by riding the northern Small Intestine section just north of Forestmeadows Park & Athletic Center. A bit under one mile total, lots of mostly swoopy turns and essentially flat. Progress to the full Tennis Court Loop (includes all of Small Intestine). A bit over 1.5M, beginning and ending here. A short portion of this includes a sampler of rooty erosion to test your skill just behind the Forestmeadows tennis courts. Then take on the full ~4M Red Bug Loop. Like many technical trails, Red Bug is different depending upon which direction you're riding. I've loved trail running many miles on Red Bug over the years. Runners need to be polite and yield when they greet mountainbikers on this trail! Photos were shot at ~28mm equivalent. In other words, things are closer and the trail is tighter than it appears. We're going numerically backward during this tour. I start next to trail marker number 1. We'll then pass trail marker numbers 103 descending to 72. Within Small Intestine, markers will run from 104 to 119. They'll then decrease from 71 to 1 as we complete this loop trail. Got it? Yes, I know the Small Intestine section is numbered backward compared to the rest of Red Bug. See also the 11 November 2007 gallery for a clockwise look at the loop. It was shot before the Small Intestine segment was created. October 2011 Phipps Park map, which includes Red Bug Trail marker numbers. This gallery shows 18 May 2008 construction of a Red Bug Trail Bike Skills area. This gallery shows the trail during a 2009 SECCC MTB race. Yes, I go metric with my trail marker distances. 1M is right at 1609m. Perhaps this will help you deal with it. THIS SITE is private property, and doesn't necessarily represent any other individual or organization. You are welcome to download/use my photos for your private enjoyment, including printing them. Any other usage/linking must come from me in writing (email ok), with credit given. Questions, pre-scoldings, comments, ID, complaints? Thanks, John Kalin Email me TallahasseeTrails on YouTube. "If I fall you're going down with me" - Trail running advice from my Dixie Chicks http://www.tallahasseetrails.com/