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Trail Running on the Kern River Parkway in Bakersfield California
The Kern River Parkway covers about 15 miles. Most of it runs along the Kern River, which unfortunately is usually dry due to agricultural diversion upstream. The actual path along the parkway is blacktop and is heavily used by cyclists, walkers, runners etc. The thing that makes this Parkway so appealing to me is that several miles of the eastern end of it has a dirt trail that more or less parallels the bike path for several miles. As this video shows, it can be very challenging to run when the temperature is in the 100 deg range but is definitely doable. In Kern County in general, spring through summer running any time of day requires close attention to hydration levels. But if you don't mind a little sweat, there is a lot of good running to do along the Kern River.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrU06BJmh-c&feature=c4-overview&list=UUjv-5G4dZlDjFOZ_TGtCsbA