Here are directions for Backside. We suggest that you jot down a few notes, and carry them with you on the run so you don't get lost. Trails can be a little tricky no matter how straightforward they are. Good luck!
Start in the northwest corner of Ballantine Field (near the storage shed), facing away from the TAs, with Walker Fieldhouse on your left. About 80 meters ahead you should see a yellow gate, which is your first target. Run past the yellow gate, and continue along the well-beaten ridge overlooking Sunset Lake. This ridge leads into a wide trail after about 180m. Run into the trail, heading up a fairly steep hill. The trail levels out briefly before heading up another steep hill beneath a row of powerlines. At the top of this hill, the trail makes a 90 degree turn to the left. Take the turn, and feel the relief of a brief downhill which ends abruptly at a T-intersection. Go right at this intersection and follow the rolling, winding trail for another quarter mile until you hit a street. At the street, take a left and run straight ahead toward another big yellow gate. Go around the gate, and you'll find yourself on the widest part of Backside. Follow this wide trail for a half mile - there are no turns or intersections. Eventually you'll find yourself alongside a fenced in backyard of a local resident. This marks 1 mile - check your watch. After two turns in the trail, you'll emerge onto pavement, heading down a steep hill with the golf course on your left. At the bottom of this hill, turn right. Now you're in the neighborhood behind campus. Take your first left, follow the curve around, and then take another left down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, you'll come to another intersection. Here, go straight up the hill alongside the golf course. At the top of the hill, you'll be in the parking lot outside of the Athletic and Fitness Center. Head straight back over to Ballantine Field and finish with a few stretches on the grass.
For an interactive map powered by gmap-pedometer and Google Maps, click here. (The map will open in a new window).