Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 4:40 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Aug 29. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
2 climbs · 3,386 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 4,608ft | +7% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 4,294ft | reference |
They differ because a GPS file picks up noise on every wiggle and often takes its heights from a coarse terrain model, while lidar maps the ground itself to about a metre. We sampled this route every 98 ft against USGS 3DEP and counted each rise of 10 ft or more, on Oct 24, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.
Aid stations as published on the course file
| Aid station | Mile | km |
|---|---|---|
| Start/Finish - MSH Science and Learning Ctr | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Aid 1 - Coldwater - 5.0 miles | 4.8 | 7.7 |
| A Brushing ends | 5.4 | 8.6 |
| A Turnaround - Coldwater Junction | 9.1 | 14.6 |
| A Aid 2 - South Coldwater - 17.4 miles | 14.8 | 23.8 |
Badge colours match the markers on the map above — always confirm locations and cutoffs with the race organizer.
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Conditions typical race-day weather for Aug 29 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Aug 29 ±3 days at the start line; a wet day has 1 mm of rain or more. Historical weather from Open-Meteo.
Race almanac 1 year of this race
Past editions
On race day it reached 55°F at the start, with a low of 44°.
| Year | Start °F | High point °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Aug 29 | 55°/44° | 47°/38° | 0.23in | 8mph |
race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line and the course high point (5,187 ft).
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Backcountry Rise 20 Miler — 2026 covers 20.6 mi (33.1 km) with 4,608 ft of elevation gain through Washington, United States. That is about 224 ft per mile of climbing, and 4,599 ft of descent. The course tops out at 5,188 ft and bottoms out at 2,352 ft. The surface is 90% trail and 10% paved. There are 4 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 5.8 mi. The profile has 2 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb to Turnaround - Coldwater Junction, +2,671 ft over 5.3 mi at 9.5% on average (steepest stretch 25%). Race day is August 29, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:27 AM and sets at 7:55 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 69°F and a low of 51°F, with a 29% chance of a wet day. The interactive map above shows the full route with its elevation profile and aid stations, built from the course's GPS file.
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Course history
- Jul 29, 2026Added to the catalog
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