(please be patient, may take 20 seconds to download the map & profile)
Drive north up the Elliot Highway from Fox to about MP 3.4. Turn left onto Old Murphy Dome Road and continue west about another seven miles to a plowed cul-de-sac located just west of Resolution Rd. (The road alignment indicated in the above map from my Magellan mapping software isn't quite right.)
The trail heads west out of the cul-de-sac. When confronted with a choice of turns, take left-hand turns until you get to the top of the last hill. At the top of the last hill after the trail levels out, take either the first or second right-hand turn to access the summit for a 360° view of Goldstream Valley, Pedro Dome, and the White Mountains. You may follow the trail east off the summit for a more gentle descent onto trail you came in on.
Don't let the profile intimidate you...the big hill is 1.05 miles of 6.5% grade which is less steep than many portions of Two Rivers nordic ski trails, Birch Hill, and Lee's Cabin and there are no scary curves. Most dogs can run comfortably down this grade with little or no snow plowing required by the skier.
The statistics for the trip are:
5.8 miles (the profile shows only 5.48, but that's normal since
the profile software calculates the distance as a series of straight lines
instead of recording the full distance like the trip odometer does).
Start elevation: 1772' Peak elevation: 2126' Total elevation gain in and out: 570 feet
Contact Mike Malvick for the track file of this trip if you wish to create a route for your GPS.