Off-road jogging in Prescott (move to, area, requirements)

[Rich2010]

I'm looking for a place to move to where I can jog all year round. My requirements are:

1) dirt trails or cinder or resilient-surface running track (I don't like to run on paved walks or roads);

2) for some part of the day, temperature above 32 degrees Fahrenheit and winds not much above 10 m.p.h.;

3) unpolluted air.

From a distance and knowing about Prescott only from Internet research, I'm concerned about whether the requirements of item 2) can be satisfied during Prescott's winter and the March-May windy period.

[BriansPerspective]

I think you will find the Peavine Trail perfect for your needs. From Hwy89 headed away from downtown Prescott, turn right onto Prescott Lakes Pkwy. Make the first left onto Sun Dog Ranch Rd. The trailhead is on the left. The Peavine is an old railroad that has been converted into a trail.

[Rich2010]

Many thanks, Brian, for this excellent information. From your description, I was quickly able to locate the trail using Google Maps. I look forward to running on it when my wife and I visit this fall.

My question about the weather remains, however. Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to how many days of the year, on average, have absolutely no window for running either because of sub-freezing temperatures all day, or strong winds, or both?

[BriansPerspective]

You're welcome. Regarding wind, that trail is pretty sheltered, so I would be fairly shocked if there was any day (other than a major storm day) that you would not run there due to wind. Also, it's a rare day that temps do not get above freezing. As soon as the sun pops up, the temperatures rise pretty quickly. We do not have days upon days of cloud cover like they do back east. For the most part, winter storms will come, dump their precip, and then head out. In the winter, the nights will drop into the 10's and 20's, but the days will generally pop back into the 40's and 50's. There may be a few days with snow on the trail, but the snow tends to melt fairly quickly (within a few hours or a day at most). Snow will hang around longer in the higher elevations (i.e., the pines area of Prescott). All in all, I would be shocked if there were more than 30 days spread throughout the year that you could not run on the trail - assuming that you are comfortable running in 40 degree, sunny weather.

[Rich2010]

Just what I needed to know about the weather. Thanks for this heads up, Brian.