White Pine 50: Course Recon — Bear River Range, Utah

The White Pine 50 is a 50-mile loop in Utah's Bear River Range above Logan, put on by Limber Pine Outdoors. It packs roughly 10,000 feet of climbing into a course that never drops below ~5,900 feet — buffed singletrack, exposed ATV doubletrack, and high alpine, sharing terrain with the Bear 100. This breakdown is built straight from the official course GPX.

The Numbers

- Distance: 50.0 miles
- Elevation gain / loss: +10,132 ft / −10,135 ft (GPX-measured; the guide rounds to ~9,000)
- High / low point: 8,570 ft / 5,920 ft
- Start / finish: Beaver Mountain yurt, 6:00 AM
- Month: August (can run hot and dusty)
- Cutoffs: Tony Grove (mi 26) by 1:30 PM (7.5h) · Logan River (mi 44) by 7:30 PM (13.5h)
- Crew & drop bags: Tony Grove Winter TH (mi 26) only

The Elevation Profile

Before you zoom into segments, see the whole course at once. The profile tells the story: a big climb out of the start, a long plunge into Temple Fork, and then the day's defining wall — 2,700 feet up to White Pine Lake.

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The shape is the strategy. You climb early while you're fresh, give it all back on a quad-pounding descent, then have to earn it all over again at the crux. The runners who bank their legs on the first half are the ones still moving on the climb to the lake.

3D Flyover: See the Terrain Before You Run It

Reading the profile is one thing. Watching the course unfold on satellite terrain is another.

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Run it at 4x for the big picture, then 1x through the two sections that decide your day: the Spawn Creek descent (miles 11–19) and the crux climb to White Pine Lake (miles 26–36).

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Segment-by-Segment Breakdown

Segment 1: Start to Sinks Road — Miles 0 to 11

Effort: Conserve | Terrain: Stump Hollow Singletrack Climb | Elevation: +2,585 ft

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Road south from Beaver Mountain, cross US-89, then up the buffed Stump Hollow singletrack on the Great Western Trail. You top out past Peter Sinks — where the coldest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 was logged at nearly −70°F — into rolling high country, then down Rex Reservoir and up Little Bear to the first aid at 8,110 ft.

How to race it: This is a patience segment. The biggest single climb block of the day comes early, and it's 11 miles to the first aid — everything you need is on your body. Hike the steep pitches, keep the effort easy, and do not chase anyone in the first hour.

Segment 2: Sinks Road to Spawn Creek — Miles 11 to 19

Effort: Controlled | Terrain: Spawn Creek Singletrack Descent | Elevation: −2,722 ft

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A short bump to the high point of this stretch (~8,500 ft near mile 14), then the glorious Spawn Creek singletrack descent into Temple Fork — 2,700 feet given back to the aid at 6,040 ft. Watch for ATV dust on the doubletrack sections.

How to race it: The descent feels like a gift. It isn't. Every runner who bombs it takes out quad debt against the back half. Shorter stride, stay relaxed, let gravity do the work without slamming into it.

Segment 3: Spawn Creek to Tony Grove — Miles 19 to 26

Effort: Steady | Terrain: Exposed Rolling Climb | Heat: Maximum

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The exposed middle. The hot, dusty Worm Fence / West Hodges climb (often with ATV traffic — a buff helps), a spring at the top, then down Little Bear, across the Logan River on the Forestry Camp bridge, and a short highway-shoulder stretch to Tony Grove Winter TH. This is your only crew and drop-bag access, and it carries the first hard cutoff: 1:30 PM.

How to race it: Manage the heat and your fluids — this is the most exposed stretch on course. Arrive with margin on the 7.5-hour cutoff and refuel completely. The crux climb is next, and you won't see aid for 10 miles.

Segment 4: Tony Grove to White Pine Lake — Miles 26 to 36

Effort: Conserve | Terrain: Sustained Alpine Climb | Elevation: +2,698 ft | The Crux

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The day's defining effort: roughly 2,700 feet of sustained climbing over 10 miles to stunning White Pine Lake at 8,400 ft, with no aid the entire way. You'll pass the lake aid twice — it sits at the junction of White Pine Canyon and South Shorty's.

How to race it: This climb decides your race. Settle into a rhythm you could hold all day, power-hike the steeps, and keep eating even though the altitude kills your appetite. If you banked your legs on segments 1–2, you climb strong here. If you didn't, this is where it shows.

Segment 5: White Pine Lake to Logan River — Miles 36 to 44

Effort: Controlled | Terrain: High Country + Steep Hollow Descent | Elevation: −2,564 ft

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Back down Whitepine, a left across the creek onto Shorty's Cutoff, a hot pull up to Steam Mill, and then you join the Bear 100 course — in daylight — and drop Steep Hollow to the final aid at Logan River. This is your last stop before the finish, and it carries the 7:30 PM cutoff.

How to race it: Protect what's left of your quads on the Steep Hollow descent. Top off everything at Logan River — food, fluids, and your headlamp plan if you're near the back. Six miles to go, but they're not free.

Segment 6: Logan River to Finish — Miles 44 to 50

Effort: Push | Terrain: Final Climb + Descent | Elevation: +1,581 ft

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The sting in the tail. Cross the river and climb Petersen Hollow into Long Hollow — nearly 1,600 feet of climbing starting at mile 45 — before the final descent into Beaver Mountain.

How to race it: Respect this climb. A 1,600-foot wall at mile 45 has broken plenty of runners who thought they were already home. Hike it with purpose, then let the descent carry you to the finish.

Aid Stations

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Race-Day Takeaways

- Two cruxes: the mile 11–19 descent (quad discipline) and the mile 26–36 climb (where the day is won). Bank your legs on the first half.
- One crew and drop-bag point — Tony Grove, mile 26. Build your whole logistics plan around it, and carry for the 11-mile opener and the 10-mile crux climb.
- Heat and exposure: Worm Fence / West Hodges and the Steam Mill climb are the dusty, exposed stretches. Buff, sun sleeves, electrolytes.
- Cutoff math: 7.5 hours to mile 26, 13.5 hours to mile 44 — generous on paper, but the climbs eat clock. Don't linger at the early aids.
- Lightly marked — carry the GPX on your watch or phone.

Break free.