Crested Butte Ultra — 2026 — Course Map, Elevation Profile & Aid Stations

Course map, elevation profile & surface

Distance

48.4mi

Elev gain

8,757ft

Elev loss

8,757ft

High point

11,302ft

Low point

8,832ft

Effective oxygen

65–72%of sea level

Surface

57% trail

Drawing the course…

The course file didn’t load.Usually a hiccup. The stats above are still right.

Race-day light

In the dark

Sunrise

7:00am

Sunset

7:00pm

Headlamp from

Not needed

For a 11:25 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Sep 26. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.

Climbs

7 climbs · 6,621 ft totalbiggest first

Pick a climb to find it on the profile and the map.

Elevation gain, measured two ways

Source	Gain	vs lidar
Course file (GPX)	8,757ft	+10%
USGS lidar, 1 m	7,939ft	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 23, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.

Aid stations as published on the course file

Aid station	Mile	km
Start/Finish	0.0	0.0
A Farris Creek Aid Station	5.8	9.4
A Walrod Aid Station	12.4	20.0
A Teocalli Aid Station	28.4	45.7

Badge colours match the markers on the map above — always confirm locations and cutoffs with the race organizer.

Race director? Check this course and correct anything that’s off, and it carries a ✓ verified by the race badge everywhere it appears, including the free map embed for your own site. Claim your course.

Nobody from Crested Butte Ultra — 2026 has checked this course yet — it’s built from what the race published. Ask them to:Email your race director

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Conditions typical race-day weather for Sep 26 at the start

Typical high

64°F

Typical low

34°F

Chance of rain

20%

2025 high

64°F

Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Sep 26 ±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 63°F at the start, with a low of 37°.

Year	Start °F	High point °F	Rain	Wind
2026 Sep 26	63°/37°	51°/30°	dry	7mph

Next race day Sat, Sep 25, 2027 · 7:00 AM start

First lightsunrise 6:59 am

6:32am

Last lightsunset 7:02 pm

7:29pm

Moonwaning crescent, up from 2:49 am

20% lit

First and last light are civil twilight, the sun 6° below the horizon. The moon is lit as at midnight after the start; headlamp hours count a typical finish from the start while the sun is below civil twilight. Worked out for the start line.

race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line and the course high point (11,302 ft).

Reviews what runners who have been there say

No reviews yet — be the first to run it and tell other runners what to expect.

About this course

Crested Butte Ultra — 2026 covers 48.4 mi (77.8 km) with 8,757 ft of elevation gain through Colorado, United States. That is about 181 ft per mile of climbing, and 8,757 ft of descent. The course tops out at 11,302 ft and bottoms out at 8,832 ft. The surface is 57% trail, 38% gravel and 5% paved. There are 3 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 20.0 mi. The profile has 7 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 28.7, +2,156 ft over 6.9 mi at 5.9% on average (steepest stretch 20%). Race day is September 26, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:00 AM and sets at 7:00 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 64°F and a low of 34°F, with a 20% 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.

Load the course in the TrailGoat Run Planner for grade-adjusted pacing, climb-by-climb splits, hourly weather and a full hydration & fueling plan — free, no account needed.

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