Start to St. Elmo
Mile 0 - 25.5
St. Elmo to Cottonwood to Tincup
Miles 25 - 41
From the St. Elmo Aid Station, you’ll back starting another significant climb. This trail is open to motorized dirt bike traffic. Heading up this south-facing gulch will be hot and exposed, so take time to fuel properly and be plenty hydrated. The beginning of the climb is a few long switchbacks, before you taper into the gulch and start moving in a more direct line. There may be some water on the trail from the creek that parallels it, depending on snowmelt. You might have wet shoes. There is a stream crossing that is easy to navigate, as you start to reach an opening in the forest and gain views of Law’s Pass, the unofficial name of the top of Poplar Gulch.
After treeline, you’ll have one switchback and a direct climb to Law’s Pass. Stop to take a moment to look around. Mountains are in every direction, and you might still be able to see some snow. The north side of Law’s Pass is typically heavily corniced in the winters, and snow holds until about the end of June.
Enjoy a mostly runnable, buffered descent down into Cottonwood Creek. The area you are now in is called Green Timber Gulch.
Careful on the wooden bridge as you enter Cottonwood Aid Station. The slats of aged wood offer lots of spots to snag your poles.
Return back the same way you came, climbing back up to Law’s Pass, and dropping back in to St. Elmo. Keep in mind the loose, chalky soil on lower switchbacks the St. Elmo side can be less favorable footing while descending.
Back at St. Elmo Aid Station, follow the road out and keep right onto Tincup Road. This road extends for 3.5 miles and 900’ of climbing over rocky terrain. Honestly – it is faster to run it than to drive it in most stock vehicles. If you’re looking around trying to get an idea of where the course goes, looking to the mountains on your left, the course ultimately will follow a gulch between two of the higher points, where the continental divide would be, at that time, on your right. The Tincup Aid Station is perpendicular to the gulch… so, focus on grinding uphill until you’ve passed the highest point on your left.
The Tincup Aid Station is where the road intersects the Continental Divide Trail.
Miles 41 - 59
After leaving Tincup, switchback through pine trees before hitting treeline. Follow the thin continental divide trail through the grassy alpine. After about 5 miles, you’ll reach a wooden sign at an intersection. The sign is not well marked in the direction you came from, but the back of the sign points toward Hancock and Alpine Tunnel East Portal. Head left, descending from the ridge. Going right, over the divide, drops to an extremely remote and inaccessible area of the Sawatch. Don’t go there!
After splitting left, you’ll switchback a few times onto the Alpine Tunnel railroad grade, which maintains a 3-4% downhill grade all the way to Hancock, a few miles ahead.
Follow Forest Road 295 out of Hancock, a sharp right. At any intersection, stay on the wide road 295, which is also marked with CDT signage. The road dead ends into single track trail, which also lands you on the shoreline of Hancock Lake. Follow the CDT , climbing across the pass and into a flowing downhill. The trail goes over a rock field near a lake and keeps on the shoreline to runner’s left. There are a couple of splits that immediately lead to a forest road. In both cases, keep on the CDT, left. You’ll be passing through a large boulder field near mile 55. Shortly after this boulder field, pass through a gate and head right, toward Lost Wonder Hut.
The hut is privately rented throughout the year. You should only access the Hut during race weekend. Return back to the gate after you supply at Lost Wonder Hut, now continuing left on the service road. The Colorado Trail/Continental Divide Trail quickly joins on the left. Take that trail. There are many intersections in the next couple miles. When in doubt, keep on the CT/CDT!
After crossing back over the service road, a couple miles after LWH, cross the wooden bridge, still following CT/CDT. A steep climb to Boss Lake awaits you.
Boss lake is a magnificent sight in the daylight, but, unfortunately this section will be dark for most runners. You’ll be on a dam, with Boss Lake on the right, and the lights from BV way off on the distant horizon. Take the dam a short hundred feet or so and fork left, crossing a bridge. Follow the CT/CDT at any intersection.
Boss Lake to Monarch Pass
"The Ridge" Crux
Miles 59 - 69
Boss lake is a magnificent sight in the daylight, but, unfortunately this section will be dark for most runners. You’ll be on a dam, with Boss Lake on the right, and the lights from BV way off on the distant horizon. Take the dam a short hundred feet or so and fork left, crossing a bridge. Follow the CT/CDT at any intersection.
Buckle up for a long grind up to the Continental Divide. In fact, you could probably call the section from Boss Lake to Monarch the crux of the course. It is high, dark, exposed to the elements, and remote.
When you crest the Continental Divide ridgeline near mile 61.3, 12,500ft, continue on the divide ridgeline for about 4 miles, to mile 65. Immediately after you encounter signage for ski slopes, Purgatory aid station will be on the right.
Follow the climb to the top of Monarch ski area. After making a quick descent, there is perhaps the most confusing intersection of the day. Making it simple, cross under the chairlift, which is somewhere around your 1-o-clock direction. Do not go left, which is downhill on one of the green ski slopes. The first right, at your 2-o-clock, takes you to the lift line of the chairlift.
The course will tease views of Monarch Pass and the aid station, but takes an indirect route there. When you reach the large wooden sign for Old Monarch Pass, take the trail behind it, which winds around a cone-shaped hill. This takes you away from the aid station before winding back around and dropping you on the Pass about 150ft beneath the aid station. Cross the road to the left to get to this major aid station, complete with everything you need. Keep in mind, you just spent *hours* at/over treeline getting here, and the aid station is at 11,300ft. If you feel like junk, its because you earned it, but focus on getting out of this high altitude aid station and to Fooses quickly, which is over 2,000ft lower, and just 5 miles away.
Monarch Pass to Finish Line
Miles 69 - 100
Go behind the gondola to begin leaving Monarch. Stay on the service road when you reach the intersection for the CT/CDT. Yes, you read that correctly – for the first time, don’t take the CT/CDT! The service road forks right, downhill. The other fork is clearly marked for administrative use only. At the bottom of the short downhill, go left, crossing around a green gate, then following a steep, loose service road downhill. You’ll follow power lines for a few miles from here. At the bottom of this treacherously steep mile, you’ll cross another identical green gate and be on an amazing, runnable, shallow grade dirt road. Follow the road as it bypasses camping areas and parallels Fooses Creek and power lines. Fooses Creek Aid Station is near a lake on this road at mile 75.7.
From Fooses Aid Station, cross the road to join with the Colorado Trail. The trail will take a few switchbacks, heading in the direction of the power lines near the top of the climb. When you cross beneath the power lines, continue directly forward into the trees on the Colorado trail. Cross every dirt road you insect with, continuing on the Colorado Trail, which is straight across.
Drop about 800’ into the Shavano H20 Aid Station, and then begin a similar climb back out, still on the Colorado Trail. The views are stellar. You’ll quickly arrive at the Blank’s Cabin Aid Station, which is along an intersection with a wood fence and aspen grove. Continue along the Colorado Trail again. Keep straight/right (on the Colorado Trail still) when you reach the intersection for the Mt. Shavano summit trail, which is soon on the left.
Near mile 90 is a signed intersection for Wagon Loop trail, which is down hard right. Do not take that trail – just keep on the Colorado Trail. Very soon after, the trail splits again at a brown sign. Fork to the left and roll up a quick short hill to stay on the CO Trail. Going right/downhill would take you off course to the Browns Creek Trailhead. You’ll quickly be at the intersection from earlier for Little Brown’s Creek Trail 1430. This time, split right, downhill, and backtrack to Raspberry Gulch on the same route as you took earlier.
Continue backtracking the course all the way to the finish.
Slight amount of snow near Alpine Tunnel and at the start of the ridge as of July 10. Otherwise, clear course!