Start at Guilford Lakes School sports field, loop the field once before crossing Maupus Road onto single trail in Timberlands. Follow white blaze heading north, then go yellow, to red then back onto white to a trailhead on route 80 and aid station 1
Cross route 80 (watch for traffic) and follow un-blazed trail that borders Guilford Sporting Association (GSA) property until it crosses Hart Road (this leads to the GSA shooting range, watch for traffic). Continue north on single trail to dirt road (County Road). Turn right, then at next fork keep right, before bearing left at next fork shortly afterwards. The trail will bring you to large boulders that indicate the town boundary between Guilford and Madison. Follow trail down to a bend on a wider forest trail and turn left. You have entered the Genesse Preserve managed by the Regional Water Authority (RWA) and should note that access is only permitted with a valid permit from the RWA.
The trail blazes are orange, follow them to white and continue north to red before turning right on to green. Stay heading north to a light green blazed trail to your left. This is a crossover to the Mattabasset Trail (MB). The MB is a blue blazed trail, turn left and follow to route 77 (watch for fast moving traffic), cross to the parking lot and aid station 2.
From the aid station head up to Bluff Head, the going is rough and VERY steep and once at the top, the path closely follows the cliff top. It is well marked but care should still be taken as the footing is uneven and has lots of loose rocks. The trail will eventually lead away from the cliff edge, and in places is less defined underfoot but is still cleared blazed. Continue to follow the blue blazes and go passed an intersection to the right that is marked white with a blue dot. Eventually the MB joins with the Lone Pine Trail (LPT) marked as blue with a red dot; turn right onto the LPT and head downhill. As the LPT descends the trail switches up, down, back and forth through dense woodland before emerging onto a wider track close to a farm and some houses. Turn left onto the farm road and follow as it bends to the right away from the houses. A few yards after the bend watch for the single track blazed trail to your left; follow this to route 77. When you reach the road turn left, stay on and follow the grass verge. Cross the road (watch for fast moving traffic) directly opposite the trail head about 100 yards up to arrive at aid station 3. You are approximately half way!
From the aid station proceed across the grass area on a posted trail and pickup the LPT (blue with red dot). The trail will eventually dump you onto a wider track with a small creek crossing, turn right here. Continue around bend to the left that brings you to an intersection marked with a green sign identifying it as Rockland Junction. Stay straight here; you are now back on the MB Trail. The trail turns to the right passes an old charcoal pit, watch out as the MB turns onto a left fork shortly after a small creek crossing. Stay on the blue blazed MB, after about a half mile the trail straightens, look for a red crossover trail to your right. Turn onto this red trail, which will take you into the Rockland Preserve. This path will drop you onto a wide forest trail, turn left and pick up orange blazes. When you arrive at a metal barrier the trail turns to your right, then right again and passes a log cabin, this is Poole Road but is also known as the Rockland Trail. About three quarters of a mile beyond the house there is a fork; go to the right following orange blazes. Take a left turn that is signed Parking Lot and stay on this path until it reaches a three way junction. Turn right (left takes you to the parking lot) and continue on orange (it meanders through the woods for a while) until it joins with a wide track that turns to the right. You must turn LEFT here and then turn right shortly afterwards to pick up yellow blazes on the Old Crooked Hill Trail. Follow downhill to Coan Pond, then pick up the red trail that switchbacks along the edge of the pond before meeting back with yellow. Turn left onto red/yellow. After a short distance you will arrive at a junction that shows red to the right and left and the Mattabasset crossover (blue with red dot) straight ahead. Turn left towards the parking lot and aid station 4.
From the aid station retrace your steps to the Mattabasset crossover and turn left following blue with red dot. When it reaches the MB turn left, and follow blue blazes once again. Beware, there are some very uneven sections to this trail, continue to a junction where blue bears to the right but to the left is the green crossover back to Genesse. Take the green trail and at the trail head notice board stay straight again on green. When the green trail delivers you back on red turn left. Follow to white, and then continue to orange. The orange trail is wide with a reasonably even surface, if you have the energy it is very run able, so watch out for the turn to the right that takes you back onto to County Road about 1.5 miles from here. At this intersection the orange trail will clearly bend to the left but you need to turn RIGHT onto an unmarked trail uphill. Proceed to the boundary boulders, and stay straight on the obvious trail until a left turn takes you back towards the GSA property. The trail may feel deceptively long compared with the outbound leg, you seem to change direction several times but it will eventually deliver you to the trail head at route 80 and aid station 5. Trust me!
Cross route 80 into Timberlands onto the white trail. Retrace this trail to red, then yellow and back onto white before emerging onto Maupas Road opposite the school. Cross the road to the finish (don’t forget to watch for traffic!)
For a printable version of the course description in pdf format can be downloaded here.