A fitness trail, trim trail or parcourse consists of a path or course with outdoor exercise equipment or obstacles installed along its length for exercising the human body to promote good health. The course is designed to promote physical fitness training in the style attributed to Georges Hébert. In general, fitness trails can be natural or man-made, located in areas such as forest, transportation rights-of-way, parks, or urban settings. Equipment exists to provide specific forms of physiological exercise, and can consist of natural features including climbable rocks, trees, and river embankments, or manufactured products (stepping posts, chin-up and climbing bars) designed to provide similar physical challenges. The degree of difficulty of a course is determined by terrain slope, trail surface (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.), obstacle height (walls) or length (crawls) and other features. Urban parcourses tend to be flat, to permit participation by the elderly, and to accommodate cyclists, runners, skaters and walking. The new concept of an outdoor gym, containing traditional gym equipment specifically designed for outdoor use, is also considered to be a development of the parcourse. These outdoor exercise gyms include moving parts and are often made from galvanised metal.
The original parcours was invented in 1968 by Swiss architect Erwin Weckemann with support from Swiss life insurance firm Vita. The first course was built in Zurich, Switzerland.[1] Hundreds of courses were built in Europe by 1972.[2]
Courses built in ensuing years included:
[US] 1976 "Parcour" exercise trail in County Farm Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Fitness Trails (also called trim trails) are a series of wooden exercise stations, scattered in parkland or other locations beside a jogging or walking trail, which can be used to develop balance, strength and coordination. They are suitable for both adults and children, and the individual stations have been scientifically designed to provide a range of exercise. Most have simple instructions attached to them, and the stations include balance beams, sit-up bars, chin-up bars, parallel bars, and more challenging stations such as pole climbs and ladder walks. Trails can include stations for the upper body, lower body, balance & coordination and climbing/jumping equipment designed to test the whole body. Bristol City Council have now installed trim trails in six parks, ranging in complexity from Withywood Park, which has a single station, to Victoria Park, which has nine.[3][4] Funding for the trim trail at Hollingworth Lake, in Greater Manchester, which was the idea of the Friends of Hollingworth Lake and opened in August 2010, was provided by the Big Lottery Community Spaces fund.[5]
A dirt parcourse trail surrounds Bishop Ranch 7 office complex in San Ramon. Although the parcourse is on private property, it is open to public use.
Under the BART right-of-way along Masonic Avenue, in Albany.
Pleasanton has two parcourse trails. One borders the northern side of Bernal Corporate Park, paralleling the Arroyo Valle. The other is on the Owens Drive loop west of Johnson Drive.
The first parcourse trail built in the USA still exists in the Mountain Lake Park of San Francisco's Presidio. The parcourse begins at the beginning of 9th Ave, just north of the intersection of 9th Ave and Lake St.[citation needed]
A parcourse was built at Sunset Circle Parking Lot near Lake Merced circa 1975.[6]
The Perrier parcourse is at the site of the former Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This course is open for public use.
There is a parcourse that borders the Marina Green in San Francisco.
Near the bathrooms at Crissy Field Beach there is a parcourse body curl station
There are several exercise stations (some new and some from an original parcourse), on the south side of Millbrae Ave. between S Magnolia Ave. and Palm Ave. along the Spur Trail in Millbrae.
An asphalt paved parcourse trail begins at the 5.9 mi. mark of the Bay Trail, around the perimeter of the Oracle Corporation office complex in Redwood Shores. Although the parcourse is on Oracle property, it is open to public use.
There is a parcourse with fitness stations clustered along a trail in the Holbrook-Palmer Park on the south side of Watkins Avenue between Dinkelspiel Station Lane and Middlefield Road in Atherton.
There is a parcourse inside the NASA Ames Research Center. However, an official NASA ID is required to access it.
There is an "outdoor exercise park" in Santa Clara's Central Park.[7]
Los Angeles Area
A paved parcourse trail is available at Rynerson Park in Lakewood on Studabaker Road parallel to the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. This parcourse has 6 stations along a 1-mile loop.
Johnny Carson Park located in Burbank features a parcourse circuit with a dozen stations along a dirt path loop. It also includes a warm-up area with equipment designed to facilitate stretching.
The Whittwood Towne Center offers a small short vita course set up next to the 24 Hour Fitness Gym.
In the unincorporated part of South Whittier at Adventure Park all around the baseball diamonds there are numerous stations.
Riverside Area
A dirt fitness trail, including stations with scaling walls, pull-up bars, and other activities, runs around Lincoln Park on Lincoln Avenue in Corona.
Lake Tahoe Area
There is an 18 station par course at North Tahoe Regional Park, which is located at 6600 Donner Road, one mile west of Highway 267 and one mile north of Highway 28 in Tahoe Vista.
San Diego Area
Morley Fields Sport complex - Perrier Parcourse Fitness Circuit. This fitness circuit was donated by the Groeat
Waters of France Company, distributor of Perrier water. The circuit includes eighteen exercise stations spaced over a 2.5 mile path.
Downtown San Diego, Embarcadero Marina Park South. Fitness course with various stations. Incorporate the Convention Center stairs into the course for a killer workout. NOTE: Area is closed frequently in the summer for concerts: Access during this time is limited to the morning - late afternoon.
Colorado
Waneka Lake Trail, Lafayette, Colorado - 10 fitness stations along 1.2-mile lake perimeter trail,[8] most of which is soft surface (crusher fines)
Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado has a 1.6-mile cross country fitness course with 19 exercise stations beginning at the Pelican Point parking area[9]
In Hamilton County, Embshoff Woods, Miami Whitewater Forest, Sharon Woods, Triple Creek, Winton Woods, and Woodland Mound county parks have parcourse trails.
In Summit County, there are two parcourse trails as part of the Summit Metro Parks system. A 1.8 mile trail is at Goodyear Metropark, and a 1.4 mile trail is part of the Sand Run Metropark. Both are well maintained dirt trails in hilly, wooded settings. Both are located in Akron, Ohio.
In Frick Park, Pittsburgh, there's a paved parcourse trail starting at the intersection of Beechwood Boulevard and Nicholson Street with 18 stations. The signs along the trail date from 1975.
In South Park, Pittsburgh, there's a Fit-trail near the gazebo on Maple Springs Drive. Installed September 2013[11]
In Toftrees, Pennsylvania, State College, you will find a paved trail near the first set of apartments as you turn off of 322 on Toftrees, Ave. labeled as a Par-Course. This trail will take you around the Toftrees Golf Resort and around the condos and apartments surrounding. Note, some of the stations appear to be in disrepair and overgrown with vegetation; the course may no longer be maintained.
Tennessee
In Franklin, Pinkerton Park, located near downtown, has a 1-mile fitness trail.
Texas
In Austin, the Shoal Creek Trail features a three-station parcourse near its intersection with 30th St.
In Sugar Land, a parcourse is located adjacent to Highlands Elementary School at the intersection of Williams Trace Boulevard and Edgewater Drive.
In Missouri City, a more compact course is located behind the LA Fitness at 5402 Texas 6, on Cross Lakes Boulevard.
In Madison, Wisconsin The Fitness Trail begins on the Near East Fields, and continues along the Lakeshore Path to the west. The trail contains nine stations and is approximately 0.75 miles long.
In Peninsula State Park The Vita Course circles the amphitheater in a 1 mile loop featuring 13 station.[13]
Parcourse Redux - Outdoor fitness tracks ... Mike Grudowski. Outside, May 2000. Photos, examples. Retrieved 4 February 2010. (no longer available online).
Old-school exercise is par for the course Jeff Nachtigal, Bakersfield.com, 11 December 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2007. Archived at web.archive.org, retrieved 28 December 2009.
