Tuesday Trails and Routes: Las Palomas Colima Trails

Every Tuesday we will feature one of our favorite running routes in the Whittier area. Some trails, some road, some a mix but all are a joy and a challenge to run! Feel free to comment and give us your thoughts on these routes or tell us which ones you want us to review next! The Las Palomas to Colima Trails is one of my personal favorites. Fair warning I love running hills and this route even test my love for them! You start off on Whittier and Valley Home heading north and right on Janine then left on Corella Ave. abut .25 of a mile after this the street name changes to Solejar Dr. and you will know it has since this is where the serious hill climbing begins! Good news is after about .25 of uphill you will get a slight break as you turn right on West heading most downhill until you hit Las Palomas Dr. Its a slight left on to that road and you will start uphill again gradual at first but soon enough the grade begins to pick up. The climb on Las Palomas is about 1.25 miles straight up to the top of the heights but wow what a view!!! From that point while still on Las Palomas Dr you will see a trail head with 2 big logs marking the entrance. Enter there and turn right to head down into the canyon on the Arroyo San Miguel Trail (we have always called in Colima Trail from my days at Cal High) No its down hill for about 1 mile until you reach the tunnel that goes under Colima Rd. If you prefer you can keep going into those trails or head back. This is mapped out as an out and back with the tunnel as the turn around. And of course what goes down must come back up so ready for 1 mile of uphill running! Enjoy the views and for a min pretend you are no where near all the traffic and noise of the city! From here you just head back the same way you came. I have include some pictures in this article for your enjoyment! As far as a review if you love hills this is a run for you. I will say some of the downhills are a bit steep so take it easy while you get used to running them and one of the downsides of this route is beginners should stay clear of it. If you are trying to run a certain pace for a specific workout also not the best route. Outside of that the scenery is amazing the lack of traffic and crowds can't be beat as well. Give this run a try and provide us your feedback! More trails and routes next Tuesday! Here is a USATF Map for thsi route! Enjoy! 

Las Palomas to Colima Trails Route Map

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