Hemlock

All courses share the same start and finish controls near the outdoor Education Center.

Note on moving up a course: The White, Yellow and Orange courses are normal level of difficulty and generally are around the Outdoor Education Center on the northern half of the park. But this is probably NOT a good event to try moving up to Brown or above for the first time.

The Advanced Courses: The advanced courses are designed with long legs to reward route choice, the limited terrain require the Blue and Red courses to move from the northern part of the park to the southern portion and then back to the northern areas. The advanced courses have significant climb, the optimal route will keep you within 4%.

Terrain: Hemlock Overlook is bounded by the Bull Run on the West and South and Pope’s Head Creek on the North. The park is narrow and is dominated by several hill masses. The park trail network for both hikers and horses radiate from the park entrance towards the Bull Run. The park is generally open but still possesses a significant down fall from the 2012 Derecho, this down fall is easily navigated around. Most major areas of deadfall are mapped with vertical green lines. Individual minor deadfall is generally not mapped unless. The darker green tends to be areas of Mountain Laurel (a woody, stiff evergreen bush) that you can generally struggle to get through, though it will be at a slow walk/crouch, and you may have to zig and zag around the stiff branches. They are dense, taller than 6 feet, tend to leave scratches, and can be disorienting. Dark Green means dark green. The visibility is excellent throughout the park except in the Mountain Laurel thickets. The terrain is generally open and very runnable, and with excellent visibility. This park has some of the steepest terrain in QOC’s inventory. The start and finish are on the high ground that drops off in every direction. The terrain is classic ridge and valley, with broad, flat ridges, lots of deeply incised spurs and reentrants. The slopes are steep and can be as many as four to five contours high. These steep slopes may be slippery if it is or has been raining or snowing. Spiked shoes and gaiters are recommended.