I've grown some favourite running areas, and more than a few favourite segments. Strava has a built-in segment search tool, but it doesn't always find segments which have lower activity.
In order to make them easier to find, I thought I would collect them here.
Unofficial 9 Lakes Half Marathon
A half-marathon training route I created for myself and have run a couple times.
Unofficial Jackfish Power Plant Climb (eastbound)
Simple as it sounds.
Unofficial Jackfish Power Plant Climb North and West
Same hill, but since you have to make the corner at the top, it's not as simple. I suggest jumping the guardrail to stay out of traffic.
Unofficial Late to the Legislative Assembly Fartlek
How fast can you rush this last little bit?
Unofficial Running From The Lawmakers Fartlek
If fleeing the lawmakers inspires your speed, make sure you turn on your tracker first!
Unofficial Niven Gate to Coop Fartlek
Nearly a 5k route around the highway. Good sprinting hills.
Unofficial School Draw Southbound Fartlek
A competitively busy segment coming out of Old Town, with another good sprinting hill at the end.
Unofficial William McDonald Track Lap Anti-Clockwise
A track loop for those who are into that sort of thing. Use outer lanes for all but the most important trackwork.
Up and Up!
Up Franklin, then up some more because there is a sprinting hill on the left.
Unofficial Welcome to Yellowknife Fartlek
From the Welcome to Yellowknife sign, over the hill at Jackfish Power Plant, and then downtown. Good sprint hill at the end.
Few Hundred Meters of Range Lake Road
I like this one because it's busy enough to look impressive, but no-one really notices it, so I maintain a high ranking.
Pilots Monument Northbound
Small hill, suitable for sprinting if season allows good footing. Very competitive segment
view from the top of Pilots Monument
I do very much enjoy getting off the roads.
Unofficial 0.5km of Abandoned Ingraham Trail Eastbound
Unofficial 0.5km of Abandoned Ingraham Trail Westbound
I created these two because it is a fun half-kilometer segment of decaying roads. Just 10 years after maintenance ceased, there are frost-heaves pushing the asphalt 3 or 4 meters high in a 10 meter span. It's great to look at the route and think about the road conditions we complain about around here. I know I have complained while driving at the maximum lawful limit (safely) and sipping a fresh, hot coffee.
It takes a tremendous effort to hold our roads straight. Flash a road crew or something.
Unofficial Big Hill Lake to Ingraham Trail Fartlek
Hiked into Big Hill Lake, then ran out. Tough segment, with a lot of scrambling and an easy to find trail I kept losing. Wonderful hills for sprinting. Name is a bit misleading though. It should be called 'Three or More Big Hills Lake'.
Unofficial Climb Into Niven Lake Trail from 49th Ave. Fartlek
A hill climb with lots of loose gravel scattered around to keep you alert.
Unofficial Coop to Legislative Assembly via Marylyn Robertson Segment of Frame Lake Trail
One of my favourite routes, this is a pretty segment with lots of bare rock and a few sets of stairs. There is a lovely bench dedicated to Marylyn Robertson near the end on the right. It's worth losing a bit of time on the segment to sit and enjoy it.
Unofficial Jackfish Driveway Downhill
Unofficial Jackfish Driveway Uphill
Good training hill after hours when most of the crew is gone. Weird sounds from the grid-iron thingammies. Probably aliens.
Unofficial Prospector Trail Loop B Clockwise
Rough trail to run, a bit out of the way, but worth fighting your way up this leaderboard.
Prospector Trail: Internal Loop
This is a special segment to me, I've called it the Humble Mile, after the creator. I invited everyone to compete, and had a bunch of participants the first summer. Almost a dozen show on strava, and I gave away several more prizes than that (there was a self-serve awards cache) My sweetheart ran it just for me one day. This is a humbling mile. I'm very proud that I have gotten it down to nearly 12 minutes. Here is the blog post
Unofficial Rat Lake Westbound Fartlek
Fun, short rolling trail along one side of Rat Lake. Firm, dry singletrack trail. Unless it's not.
Unofficial Taylor Road Muddy Shortcut Fartlek NB
Unofficial Taylor Road Muddy Shortcut Fartlek SB
On the inside of the curve of Taylor Road, there is a great trail to sprint. Segments going both ways. One direction seems to pick up passing street traffic, while the other doesn't.
Somba k’e to Frame Lake Beach
Launching out of Somba k'e Civic Plaza toward the hospital, bust a gut for just about a kilometer to test yourself against one of Yellowknife's most competitive segments. Lively.
Racquet Club Climb
This hill sprint segment may be Yellowknife's premier gutbuster. Must like big gravel, small gravel, and twiggy gravel.
Boulder to top of the stairs quad-crusher
If you can find your way back here, you can enjoy a rare and beautiful overlook of Jackfish Lake between hill repeats.
Bristol Plane Connector
One of my favourite short sprint segments. Gravel, branches and possibly foxes. Good with beer.
While other runners are resting, I'm off running segments which will be unavailable from spring until freeze-up.
Again, it's a shameless strategy to dominate segments I shouldn't be able to hold. Don't like it? Come take them.
NWTRunning across Yellowknife Bay to Dettah and back (2016/2017)
Some years, the road is placed in a different location, so will not pick up. For instance, 2017/2018 runs are not appearing on this segment.
Great run anyway. Zero incline, brutal cold, open to wind from all directions, for miles. A real treat. It's just like the Rainbow Bridge in the Marvel movie Thor. Well, except not as much colour. If you run it at night, you might get auroras.
photo is dramatization of ice road. OK, it is an over-dramatization. OK, it's nothing like this, but when you run it, you feel like you are running the Rainbow Bridge
here is a more accurate image - still magical, isn't it?
OK, one last time - MAGICAL!
Unofficial Coop to City Hall Winter Fartlek
Unofficial City Hall to Coop 1k Winter Fartlek
Great sprint distance, 1km across Frame Lake, near enough to hotels for tourists to try it out. At least I hope so. Both directions segmented.
Unofficial Winter Only Stanton Hospital to City Hall Fartlek
Shortcut route available only in winter, due to a small lake crossing.
it is said that at the right time in spring, if a politician sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of skiing
Around the plowed Niven Lake Path
Someone plows a path around Niven Lake, near the shore. It is around 1km, and a pretty path. You may have to race dogs. Be merciless about speed - they sure will be.
Unofficial Kam Lake to Great Slave Lake Fartlek
One of the best for last, this segment starts at the edge of Kam Lake. Look for the major skidoo trail going up into the bush. Follow it up through rolling moguls until you reach a small lake (Meg Lake). Sprint across that, finding the trail continuing generally straight through more bush and moguls until it exits the trees at a steep hill dropping onto Great Slave Lake. Watch for overflow near the shore. Enjoy one of the best ways to get to Dettah, just by continuing across Yellownkife Bay. Sometimes there is a road in for fisherman.
Place your favourites in the comments if I missed it here. Also comment if you want to see images of a particular segment - this is a BEAUTIFUL area!
