When
May 8, 2026 @ 8:00 AM
Location
Distance
3.9 miles
Total ascent/descent
860 ft
Map
Experience the beautiful mountain trails of Mint Springs Valley Park with the annual Mint Springs Trail 5K! Enjoy a great morning at the park as this challenging course winds up and down the mountain trails and finishes at the pavilion at the upper lake.
This community event is meant to bring runners, kids, families, and walkers together on the trails.
Also, this will be the first race of the Charlottesville Summer Trail Running Series, a four-race series of 5k to 5-mile distance trail runs that finishes in August.
Please register early to ensure a shirt in your size. Prizes will be awarded to the top three overall male and female finishers and men’s and women’s age group finishers for 12 and under, 13-17, 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+. Kids and families are encouraged to enter! Walkers and hikers are welcome!
This will be a timed event, and all runners will be given bibs with a race number at packet pickup.
You will not need to register for this race separately if you have already registered for the Summer Trail Running Series.
Mint Springs Trail 5k++
After 11 years of using the same exact course, there will be a slightly new course for the Mint Springs Trail 5k this year and moving forward. Due to necessary reroutes of both Fire Trail and Big Survey trails, the distance of the normal course is now long enough to make all prior course records unattainable. And with the recent addition of both Ridge and Sunset trails, two of the most beautiful trails in Albemarle County, race director, John Andersen, has decided to change the course so runners will still have challenge of running straight up Bucks Elbow Mountain to start the race. From there, stay on the parks upper ridge all the way around to the Ridge and Sunset trails where participants will run by the now-famous “Slab” overlook and through beautiful mountain laurels (which should be in bloom on race day), before descending down and back around to finish at the pavilion by the upper lake.
Course Info
What to Expect
Your shoes will get wet and dirty
There is a lot of elevation gain. You will likely be hiking some of the steep uphills and running the flats and downhills. You will be cursing the race director once you reach the powerlines.
Beautiful trails, mostly single track, some double track. No roads.
Bibs, timing, and a fun, friendly, and festive atmosphere!
A playground and rocks for your kids to play on while you run
The course distance is approx 3.9 miles, so longer than a true 5k (hence the 5k++). With approx 860 feet of vertical gain during the race, this may take runners approximately twice as long as it would take to run a flat road 5k.
Directions & Parking
The race is held at Mint Springs Valley Park in Crozet, Virginia.
From the 4-way stop in downtown Crozet, head west onto Railroad Ave for 2 miles, and Mint Springs is on your left.
Detailed Course Description
The Mint Springs Trail 5k++ is a unique race in that it is a true, mountain trail 5K (including some bonus distance). You will get see all of what trail running is about, in a great 5K distance course.
Past Race Results
