Nam Phrae Backcountry Trail Loop

Distance: 13 kilometers

Elevation: 276m

Difficulty: Easy

What to expect on this trail?

This route in Nam Phrae district is a great backcountry trail loop with a lot of variation, ranging from sandy single track to dense forest trails with a nice steep climb mixed in for good measure. This area is located near the Chiang Mai Grand Canyon within easy reach from the city.

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Nam Phrae Backcountry Trail Loop in detail

The starting point of this trail in Nam Phrae district is Wat Doi Ku Kham, a small local temple. It makes for a very convenient starting point as there is plenty of parking space. There are also toilets and a water refill station. From the temple follow the concrete road to your right. No worries because it soon becomes a dirt road, and before you know it you take another right onto a single-track.

This is where the fun starts as you get a first feeling of the nice trails that this route has to offer. Before you really get to the long sections in the forest, however, you will run along some nice, scenic dirt roads first until you turn left and start a short, steep climb. The views on this section are quite amazing, so you have an excuse to stop for a moment to take them in.

After you reach the highest point you will descend into the forest, where you will spend most of the remainder of the route. The trails are not overgrown and easy to follow most of the time. However, you will probably end up asking yourself “which way to go?” at some places. This is the reason why a navigation device is absolutely necessary for this route. Without it you risk getting hopelessly lost.

The single-track fun on this Nam Phrae trail continues until right at the end when you end up at a residential area. From there is is just a final last straight back to the temple to complete the loop. If you still have too much energy, the temple has a staircase leading up to a chedi, so feel free to finish of with some stair climbs 😉.

Tips for this trail

The temple gate may not be open if you go very early. There is some parking space outside though, and by the time you return the temple will be open.
The water refill station at the temple is not free, but at 0.5 baht for a liter it almost is.
The route is accessible to all levels of runners, but shoes with good grip are recommended. There are quite some sections with loose rocks. Good shoes can help a lot on those!
As soon as you are out in the forest there are no shops or refill stations. Make sure to take everything you need! You can have a look at our “everything you need to know” section if you are not sure what you need.
Chiang Mai Grand Canyon is just around the corner of the temple. It can make for a nice, refreshing post-run stop. It only opens at 10am though, so if you are an early bird this wouldn’t work.

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