Palisades Ultra Trail Series

• 100 Miles of Mountainous Pain

• 22,000+ ft. Vertical Ft. Elevation Gain 

• 22,000+ ft. Vertical Ft. Elevation Loss

• (40,000+ Vertical Ft. Change)

• Start time 6:00 am on Friday

• The final cut-off is 36 hours (6:00 pm on Saturday) 

*Prerequisites: Completed a verifiable 100k race in the previous 2 years or sub 12-hour 50 mile race, in addition to possessing a healthy appetite for beauty and adventure. 

 

• Start & Finish at Big Elk Creek YMCA camp located here, the course covers 2 GIANT 50-mile figure-eight loops: Loop #1 is clock-wise, loop #2 is run counter-clockwise

  • 95+% Single Track (zero asphalt, only a few miles of dirt road)

• Cut-offs: There are 5:​

  • N. Indian Cr., leaving by 11 pm Friday Night

  • Big Elk Creek (halfway point) leaving by 2:00 am Saturday morning

  • N. Indian Cr., the final time​, leaving by 11:00 am Saturday morning
  • Dry Canyon (Before going up to Cabin Creek) leaving by 3:00 Pm Saturday afternoon
  • Big Elk Creek finish, 6:00 pm Saturday evening
  • Dry Canyon is a very hard cutoff. If you do not LEAVE the aid station by 3pm you will be required to head straight to the Finish. You will not be allowed to do the out and back up to Cabin Creek and will be a DNF. Medical professionals will be at Dry Canyon and will assist you the best they can. 

• Creek Crossings, there are multiple ones, depending on snowmelt, but none of them are over thigh-deep with the deepest being Big Elk Cr. and a rope is secured during high water years

  • You will have wet feet, you will NEED merino wool socks and shoes that drain well

    • We discourage the use of waterproof shoes as they won't breathe well in the July heat​

• Drop Bags & Crew/Spectator Access are at the start/finish at Big Elk and N. Indian Cr. located here. Mile 50 is Big Elk Creek start/finish and the rest are at N. Indian: miles 21, 42, 60, and 81.​

  • Any crew offering aid outside of aid station locations will result in an automatic disqualification for their runner

  • Cell phone coverage is limited, with partial coverage at the YMCA Camp and good coverage along the highway, while N. Indian Cr. has no coverage ​

    • Runners will have cell coverage along various points ​on the Quaker Flats section and a little bit in Blowout Canyon. A good rule of thumb is that whenever you can see the Palisades Reservoir you will have cell coverage for Verizon users

• Pacer access allowed at all drop bag points after mile 42, (at N. Indian Cr. Aid Station) and required to wear a "PACER" bib.

  • Each 100-miler entrant is allowed 1 pacer bib and it can be picked up during packet pickup.

  • While your pacer is pacing you (not before or after) they are allowed full access to aid station food and drink. 

  • Pacers cannot hike in for you to pick them up at any of the wilderness aid stations, they can only be picked up at N. Indian or Big Elk Cr. 

• Aid Stations located at miles 8, 16, 20, 26, 36, 41, 50, 59, 63, 73, 80, 84, 92, 97 for a total of 14 fully stocked aid station stops. (The turn around at Cabin creek is ONLY a turn around, no food or water there).

  • Medical personnel will be staffed at most of these locations and have In-Reach GPS units to text back to the medical director​

  • Liquid IV's will not be available

• Filtering Water: We do not recommend drinking from any of the streams without using a water filter. There are multiple points to filter water if needed, except for 2 major stretches: 

  • Quaker Flat/Blowout Canyon has lots of climbing, exposure, and the only possibility of water access​ being along Spring Run (closer to N. Indian Cr.)

  • Dry Canyon is a long dry stretch after leaving Garden Gnome aid station late in the race, so stock up well​

    • A couple of miles up ​Garden Canyon there is a possibility of water access before the canyon turns to the west, this a good place to filter water and top yourself off before your last grueling climb late in the race

• Pre-Race Communication: We make frequent updates on social media (so please follow us) but will also send out critical communication over email through UltraSignup. PLEASE INSTRUCT YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND CREW not to reach out to us. They are to go to you with questions. We get a flood of emails & messages right before the race and during the race we are unable to respond to. Most of their questions are answered on our website. Please share information with them beforehand so all can have a great experience. 

• Pricing: $280 by Jan. 31  - $295 by Apr. 30 - $320 until registration closes June 30

(Select the Schedule & Policies button below to see critical information)