When you find them it’s a gift: running routes in Mathews County where you aren’t retracing the course. These two routes – 3.8 miles & 3.9 miles each – start & finish on Garden Creek Road and wind along backroads with very little traffic and lots of scenic nature.
3.8 Mile “Old Garden Creek” Loop
Exit the church parking lot and turn left onto Garden Creek Road. At the stop sign, left onto Bethel Beach Road, then left again on Old Garden Creek Road. At the stop sign, turn left back on to Garden Creek Road and finish the loop.
Of course you can reverse the route if you prefer by simply turning right out of the parking area and continue with right turns. Doing left turns eliminates crossing the road – but with such low traffic volume, it really doesn’t matter a lot.
3.9 Mile “Ridgefield” Loop
Exit the church parking lot and turn right onto Garden Creek Road. Just past Old Garden Creek Road, turn left onto Marsh Hawk Road. At the stop sign, go straight onto Ridgefield Road to the end. At the stop sign, turn left back on Bethel Beach Road and left again onto Garden Creek Road and finish the loop.
Again, reversing the route is an option – just take a right turn from the parking area and then a series of right turns along the course.
Combining the courses for a longer run.
For those who want a longer distance, you can merge these two loops in a variety of configurations, even adding an extension by continuing to the end of Bethel Beach Road to the beach (note: from the intersection of Garden Creek Road & Bethel Beach Road, it is 2 miles to the beach).
Some of the sights along these loops.
Mathews Outdoor Club 