Trail running at Lake Mountain

Just a couple of hours out of Melbourne, Lake Mountain is the most accessible of all the peaks. Nestled amongst the beautiful and high reaching mountain ash, your running will be protected from the sun and deliver surprises around every corner. From tight singletracks to wide, well-maintained bush tracks, the running is varied and exciting.

Accommodation

To book accommodation at Lake Mountain visit lakemountainresort.com.au.

Green Run Blue Run Black Run

Green Run

"An easy loop along Lake Mountain’s wide, grassy ski trails. A slight climb up to Helicopter Flat before hitting a fast, flat trail for 1.5km. Great for those wanting some speed-work on consistent, sure ground. The route finishes with a fun, fast, non-technical downhill run leading back to the village."

DISTANCE: 5.8 km

TRAIL TYPE: Loop

COMBINED ASCENT/DESCENT: 110 metres +/-

RUN RATING: 11/45

START: Between Main Visitor Centre and Village Administration Building

FINISH: Between Main Visitor Centre and Village Administration Building

ESTABLISHED TRAIL NAMES: Echo Flat Trail, Muster Trail, Taggerty Return Trail

GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Helicopter Flat, The Camp, The Gap

TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS: Subalpine vegetation and wetlands at Echo Flat. Discover Lake Mountain’s endless trail options at The Camp trail intersection. Cross Taggerty’s River along the Muster Trail.

MAPS AVAILABLE: Lake Mountain Area Map; Lake Mountain Ski Trail Map; Lake Mountain MTB Trail Map (all representative).

THE RUN

Starting between the main village visitor’s centre and the Village administration building, head straight on to the well-marked Echo Flat trail.

The Echo Flat trail starts with a wide, tan bark covered trail and a gentle incline. After approximately 600m you will approach Snow Gauge where you stay left on Echo Flat Trail.

You will reach Helicopter Flat after running approximately 1.25km, at which point you will see options for the Snowgum Trail and Little Echo Loop. Stay left on Echo Flat Trail.

The following 600m is flat and the terrain is consistent. If you feel like stretching your legs and gathering some speed, push hard to The Camp trail intersection.

The Camp is where you’ll find options for Woollybutt, Jubilee and Snowgum Trails. Stay left to remain on the Echo Flat trail.

The next section of the trail is undulating along wide ski trails, eventually leading you to The Gap at the 3.25 km point of the run.

Run 300m beyond The Gap and turn left on the the Muster Trail. This is where the downhill fun begins. The Muster Trail contains some ramp-like undulations and is, in some parts, a semi-technical downhill section. Watch your ankles on rocks and small potholes if you are tackling this part of the route with speedy enthusiasm.

The Muster Trail will eventually lead you to a T-intersection just past the Upper Taggerty Bridge at the 5.25 km point. Here you will need to turn right on to the Taggerty Return trail which will return you to the Lake Mountain Village and carpark.

The Echo Flat Trail is excellently sign-posted all the way long the 5.8 km route.

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Blue Run

"A fun-fuelled single track for runners who like tight trails with plenty of twists, turns and rock obstacles. Perfect for time trials and trail running acrobatics."

DISTANCE: 9.05 km

TRAIL TYPE: Loop

COMBINED ASCENT/DESCENT: 250 metres +/-

RUN RATING: 35/45

START: Lake Mountain Village Carpark

FINISH: Lake Mountain Village Carpark

ESTABLISHED TRAIL NAMES: Granite Grind (Blue Trail No 7)

GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Lake Mountain Summit, Sherlock Lookout

TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS: Singletrack heaven. Fast, tight course. Bag a Lake Mountain Summit, take in stunning views of the Marysville region. Run past historical winching ruins.

MAPS AVAILABLE: Lake Mountain Resort MTB Map

THE RUN

The trailhead begins on the southern fringe of the main village carpark, opposite the Visitors Centre.

10m from the trailhead, you will see the Granite Grind Trail (Blue Trail No.7) on your right. The trail slowly ascends through bushfire regrowth.

You will come across an intersection with Lenny’s Loop (Green Trail No.6), stay left on the Blue Trail No.7.

Follow the trail to where it intersects with Trail No.8, the Bypass. Stay on Blue Trail No.7 and head towards to Lake Mountain Summit.

At 1.3km you will come across an outcrop, featuring a deep-set boulder field. To your right is a lookout to the Marysville region. Proceed along the trail to Lake Mountain Summit.

On the summit, you will notice to your left a Summit Loop Walk and Alps Lookout option. Proceed across the outcrop, following the signs for Blue Trail No.7.

At 2.5km, you will come across a sign directing you to the right, 1.8km down to Snowy Hill carpark.

100m further down the trail, stop at Sherlock Lookout for views of the Marysville region before heading back on to the trail, down to a creek crossing and shortly afterward, another intersection. Here you will need to stick right to stay on blue trail no. 7. This section of the trail will lead you to a road crossing in 300m. Beware of motor vehicles.

Once over the road, you will rejoin the single trail until you reach the next intersection.

At this point, the single trail speeds up once again, undulating through burnt mountain ash.

Take advantage of the mountain bike ramps, boulder jumps and sharp descents along this section of the trail.

At the 5.5km point of the route, you will encounter old winching ruins. At this point, stay right on the Blue Trail No.7 (Granite Grind Circuit).

Prepare for more single trail fun once you pass the Adventure Racing obstacles.

The single trail for the next 2km is relatively flat. The terrain underfoot is not technical, however tight corners and switchbacks will test your trail running technique and core strength if moving at speed.

At the 8.5km point the trail joins a 5-way intersection, follow the 7 Peaks arrow turning slightly left and 250m later cross an access track onto a short connecter trail which takes you to the Village Carpark.

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Black Run

"A challenging run requiring a good level of skill and fitness, this route features technical downhill trail, fast 4WD tracks with stunning views, enough ascent to satisfy mountain loving trail runners and classic alpine single trail."

DISTANCE: 22.5 km

TRAIL TYPE: Loop

COMBINED ASCENT/DESCENT: 693 metres +/-

RUN RATING: 35/45

START: Lake Mountain Village Car Park

FINISH: Lake Mountain Village Car Park

ESTABLISHED TRAIL NAMES: Granite Grind (Trail 7), Bypass (Trail 8), Upper Taggerty Road, Keppel Hut Track, East Boundary Trail, Royston Gap Road

GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Taggerty’s Lookout, Sherlock Lookout, Keppel Hut Summit

TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS: View of the Marysville region from Sherlock Lookout. Technical fast single trail along the Granite Grind Bypass trail, including micro boulder fields. Winching Ruins at Upper Taggerty Road entry point. Running Creeks alongside Upper Taggerty Road. Stop and refresh at faithfully rebuilt replica of Keppel Hut.

MAPS AVAILABLE: Lake Mountain Area Map; Lake Mountain Ski Trail Map; Lake Mountain MTB Trail Map (all representative).

THE RUN

The trailhead begins on the southern fringe of the main village carpark, opposite the Visitors Centre. 10m from the trailhead, you will see the Granite Grind trail (Blue Trail No. 7) on your right. The trail slowly ascends through bushfire regrowth. You will come across an intersection with Lenny’s Loop (Green Trail No.6), stay left on Blue Trail No.7.

Follow the trail to where it intersects with Trail No.8, the Bypass. Take the Bypass trail to your right. The Bypass is a sweet 2.2km single trail with plenty of rock obstacles for technical trail runners looking for a challenging trail playground, featuring an abundance of rock-hopping opportunities.

After running the Bypass for 500m, take the intermediate trail option for some boulder jumping, onto a pine boardwalk. Look out for the ‘Omega’ mountain bike trail marking and ‘Moon Rock’, a short distance afterward, where you will negotiate more large boulders.

At 2.8 km, you will encounter a rocky outcrop, climb over boulders and proceed along the trail for another 50m where you will turn right to rejoin the Granite Grind, Blue Trail No.7.

At 3km, you will come across a sign directing you to the right, 1.8km down to Snowy Hill car park. 100m further down the trail, stop at Sherlock Lookout for views of the Marysville region before heading back on to the trail, down to a creek crossing at 4.4km and shortly afterward, another intersection where you need to stick right to stay on Blue Trail No.7. This section of the trail will lead you to a road crossing in 300m. Beware of motor vehicles.

Once over the road, you will rejoin the single trail. At 4.9km, the next intersection you encounter, you will need to stay left on Blue Trail No.7. At this point, the single trail speeds up once again, undulating through burnt mountain ash.

At 5.7km take advantage of the mountain bike ramp, through two burnt mountain ash trees. Just before you reach the 6km point of the route, you will encounter old winching ruins. At this point, jump off the single trail on to the 4WD track to your left. You are now on Upper Taggerty Road, a well groomed, bark covered 4WD track.

At 6.5km, you will cross a still body of water on either side of the track. This section of Upper Taggerty Road features slight undulations, enjoy easy running in this section of the route. This is a good opportunity to take in the views of the burnt snowgums across the valley to the right of the track.

At the 7.5km mark, you will encounter a fast non-technical descent, taking you 700m down to a bridge/creek crossing.

The next section of Upper Taggerty Road runs alongside various waterways and small waterfalls, contributing to the alpine soundtrack. From the 10.5km point, you will start to ascend for the next 3km up to 1040m. At 13.3km you will reach a gate at the end of Upper Taggerty Road. At the intersection, turn right on to the Keppel Hut Track. The first section of the Keppel Hut Track is easy, 4WD trail running through more bushfire regrowth.

At the 14km point, you will approach a fork in the track. Stay right on track to remain on Keppel Hut Track. 500m further down the trail, Keppel Hut Track begins to ascend. Experienced runners will have recovered from the climb up to the end of Upper Taggerty Road, ready to push hard up to Keppel Hut summit.

Keppel Hut is situated at the 16.2km point of the route. Just before you reach the Keppel Hut sign, look out for a trail marker on an Ash tree on the right side of the track. This trail marker signifies East Boundary Trail. You will need to come back to this point if you wish to visit Keppel Hut.

Keppel Hut is tucked away, off Keppel Hut Track. Run 50m beyond the sign and take a small track to your right. This will lead you 30m to Keppel Hut.

Once you have backtracked to East Boundary Trail, the Ash tree with the trail marker will now be on your left. Look out for an old iron gate that once blocked the trail.

Take the slightly overgrown path on to East Boundary Trail. Run along the trail through bushfire regrowth, crossing two creeks. You will encounter a number of fallen trees and log obstacles on this part of the trail.

East Boundary Trail will eventually begin to ascend at the 17.3km point, taking you up to an altitude of 1384m at the 19km point of the route. After the climb, enjoy non-technical single trail until you reach an intersection. To your left, you will see a sign for the Hut Loop. Push on straight ahead, keeping right and following the signs indicating Village Return, past a flat swampy area.

Once you hit the ski trails, turn right onto Panorama Trail, follow on to Triangle Junction which is the start of Royston Road at the 21km point.

Enjoy a fast, technical, rocky downhill run down Royston Trail. Stop at the 22.3km point to enjoy the Melbourne Lookout point on the right side of the trail.

Continue on Royston Trail for the final 300m back to the Village carpark.