Mae Khanin Cross Country Trail

Distance: 27 kilometers

Elevation: 1004m

Difficulty: Intermediate

What to expect on this trail?

This cross country trail route in Mae Khanin has something for everyone. From scenic sections along paved roads and easy double tracks to grueling climbs to getting wet feet in riverbeds. The distance of this route is medium, but don’t let this deceive you, the route can be harder than you may expect. There is a good amount of elevation you will have to conquer, and you will be running with soaked feet for a couple of kilometers. Lot’s of fun!

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Mae Khanin Cross Country Trail in detail

The trail starts at Mae Khanin Nuea, located about 30 kilometers on Hang Dong side of the Samoeng loop. The road is quite curvy and steep in some sections, so make sure you plan enough driving time to get there. You can park your car at Wat Thong Siri, which also has toilets. Cross the road from the temple into the village to start your run.

The first part of the route is on wide streets and double tracks. There is quite a bit of climbing, but you’ll get amazing views of the forest and agricultural fields as a reward. You will also pass some Hmong communities along the way, making for great variation of scenery and a sense of local life. The real fun starts after you make a sharp right turn and head onto double track forest roads.

You will continue to pass small settlements as you follow these roads, and you can feel an increasing sense of remoteness as you continue. One of the coolest sections is a carved out single track that you will follow before starting a steep climb through bamboo forest. What goes up must come down, and soon there is a long stretch of single track downhill. Arriving at the bottom of the descent you will be now in Mae Khanin Tai. Take it easy here as you make your way through the village. There we were lots of barking dogs coming at us and they usually don’t tend to like fast runners. Walking calmly without engaging in sudden movements is a much better idea.

After the village it is back onto the trails and this is where the real fun (or is it?) awaits. The road will cross a small stream, and will continue to do so for over a dozen times. Don’t bother trying to keep your feet dry. You may manage to do so a couple of times, but you will get wet feet. Guaranteed. This combination of double tracks, streams, river beds mixed in with some steep climbs is what you will get until almost the end of the route.

You will see that the route flattens out towards the final stretch, as you make your way past rice paddies with buffaloes and you approach Patara Elephant Farm grounds. If you see any elephants, DO NOT APPROACH THEM! Cross the farm and soon you will end up where you started to complete the loop.

Tips for this trail

If you want to explore this area in an organized setting, check out the แม่ขนิลครอสคันทรี-เทรล (Mae Khanin Cross Country – Trail) Facebook page. They regularly organize cross country and trail races which are good fun. Unfortunately the page is all in Thai though.
You want to start this route early because especially during the first part you are quite exposed to the sun. The starting point of the route is about 45 minutes driving from the city, so keep this in mind when planning your run.
The distance is manageable for experienced runners, but as you can read above, you will get wet feet. Running with soaked shoes is quite different from having dry feet, so be prepared for this.
Make sure to take enough water and snacks. There are some villages along the way, but you will be out in nature for long stretches of time.
There are multiple coffee shops along the way to Mae Khanin, too many to go into detail about them all. But if you are an athlete you should check out Hern Lin Resort. It is run by an avid outdoors athlete and the whole place is aimed at trail runners and cyclists.

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