Ridge gathering synopsis

Part of the climb to Mt Arawang summit

We were fortunate the weather stayed nice for the small turnout to run Cooleman Ridge this evening. Other than a little pain endured on the climb to Mt Arawang summit the overall feeling was that all enjoyed themselves.

Stay tuned for our next run.

Trail Review: Cooleman Ridge

Looking towards the Bullen and Brindabella ranges.

One of the thirty areas of Canberra Nature Park, Cooleman Ridge borders the southwest side of the Weston Creek suburb of Chapman, and, the north western area of Tuggeranong (Kambah).

Cooleman Ridge provides a beautiful way to escape our sometimes hectic lives. On the southwest side, there are the beautiful open spaces of farmland with the spectacular background of the Bullen and Brindabella ranges. On the Chapman side of "the ridge" you have views of the Woden Valley, Weston Creek, Canberra CBD, and, the untouched mountains scattered throughout the Canberra area.

Looking towards the Canberra CBD from Mt Arawang.

The nature park is surrounded by fire trail around the lower parts of the ridge, with interconnecting trails between each side and over the top of the ridge. The reasonably maintained outer loop is about 10km and perfect for a weekday run, with many options for shorter or more difficult runs by using the interconnecting trails.

For those of you that like that don't mind a hill or two, Cooleman Ridge provides great views from it's two highest points at the summit of Mt Arawang and the Cooleman Trig point. The trails to these are narrower single tracks, some of which, are not in the best condition.

Where to access it?

The suburb of Chapman provides plenty of access points to Cooleman Ridge. However, for those considering making the trip by car, or are unfamiliar with the area, here are the three best locations for accessing Cooleman Ridge:

• Namatjira Dr, Chapman 
• Hake Street, in northwest Kambah
• Kathner St, Chapman

Common access points to Cooleman Ridge

Wanting more?

For those thinking of longer runs, there are trails connecting Cooleman Ridge to Narrabundah Hill in Duffy then onto Mt Stromlo; to McQuoid's Hill and on to the Murrumbidgee Discovery Trail; or if you're willing to cross a road or two, you can easily connect your run to Mt Taylor and the Woden Valley.

Maps

Courtesy of OpenStreetMap.org

Here is outer fire trail route of Cooleman Ridge on Strava. This route is easily modified to take in Mt Arawang summit.

Sounds good? Join us for a social run this Thursday 28th November 2013 at 6:30PM.

Social run gathering: Cooleman Ridge

Where: Cooleman Ridge
When: Thursday, 28th November 2013 @ 6:30PM
Distance: Approximately 10km

Details: 

Meet in front of the Canberra Nature Park sign at the end of Kathner St, Chapman. Consider bringing a headlamp if it takes you longer than 1hr 30mins to run 10km.

The course will be marked. Stay tuned for a course map and little bit of information on Cooleman Ridge.

Spread the word.