Western States 100 Course Profile

Olympic Valley to Auburn, CA, California

• Distance: 100.2 miles
• Elevation Gain: 18,090 ft
• Elevation Loss: 22,970 ft
• High Point: 8,750 ft
• Low Point: 1,200 ft
• Time Limit: 30 hours
• Month: June
• Finisher Rate: ~80%

The oldest 100-mile trail race in the world. From Squaw Valley ski resort to Auburn, traversing the Sierra Nevada mountains on the Western States Trail. Known for brutal heat in the canyons and technical river crossings.

Aid Stations

Name	Mile	Elevation	Crew Access	Drop Bag	Cutoff
Lyon Ridge	10.3	7,050 ft	No	No	—
Red Star Ridge	15.8	7,650 ft	No	No	—
Duncan Canyon	23.8	4,700 ft	No	Yes	—
Robinson Flat	29.7	6,730 ft	Yes	Yes	11:00 AM Mon
Dusty Corners	38	5,600 ft	No	No	—
Last Chance	43.3	5,200 ft	No	Yes	3:00 PM Mon
Devil's Thumb	47.8	4,600 ft	No	No	—
El Dorado Creek	52.9	2,800 ft	No	No	—
Michigan Bluff	55.7	3,200 ft	Yes	Yes	6:30 PM Mon
Foresthill	62	3,260 ft	Yes	Yes	9:30 PM Mon
Cal-1 (Peachstone)	65.7	2,600 ft	No	No	—
Rucky Chucky (river)	78	1,000 ft	No	No	2:30 AM Tue
Green Gate	79.8	1,400 ft	Yes	No	3:00 AM Tue
Auburn Lake Trails	85.2	1,400 ft	Yes	No	4:30 AM Tue
Brown's Bar	89.9	700 ft	No	No	—
Hwy 49 Crossing	93.5	700 ft	Yes	No	6:30 AM Tue
No Hands Bridge	96.8	800 ft	No	No	—
Robie Point	98.9	1,200 ft	Yes	No	—

Course Segments

Segment	Miles	Terrain	Difficulty	Notes
Squaw to Emigrant Pass	0–4.5	climb	hard	Steep initial climb to high point. Start conservative.
Emigrant to Lyon Ridge	4.5–10.3	rolling	moderate	Exposed ridgeline. Enjoy the views.
Lyon Ridge to Robinson Flat	10.3–29.7	rolling	moderate	Long runnable section with canyon crossings.
Robinson Flat to Foresthill	29.7–62	descent	hard	Deep canyons — heat traps. Manage nutrition.
Foresthill to Rucky Chucky	62–78	descent	hard	Cal Street descent. Quad destroyers.
River Crossing to Auburn	78–100.2	rolling	hard	Mental game. Keep moving. You're almost there.

View the full interactive elevation profile, 3D course flyover, and race strategy tools on HARDN.