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⏵ Course guide · White Mountains ultra

Black Bear Trail Races Course Guide

Black Bear is a 50K out of Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, that climbs about 7,700 feet over four named White Mountain peaks, including two 4,000-footers. It is a genuine mountain ultra, not a forest loop with a big number attached. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeated climbing on technical singletrack. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Black Bear Trail Races quick facts

Date
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Location
Waterville Valley, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
Distances
50K and 23K
Elevation gain
50K: about 7,700 ft
50K start
6:00 AM · 23K start: 8:00 AM
Cutoff
50K: course closes at 6:00 PM, a 12-hour cutoff
Entry style
Online registration through the White Mountain Endurance series

These facts come from the White Mountain Endurance series race page. Check the current date, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: four peaks, no flat stretch to hide in

The 50K starts out of Waterville Valley and climbs and descends four named peaks in the White Mountain National Forest, including Mount Osceola and Mount Tecumseh, both official 4,000-footers. About 7,700 feet of gain is packed into roughly 31 miles, and it comes in repeated efforts rather than one long grind.

Early climbs: settle in, there is no easing into this one

Black Bear does not give you a warm-up. The climbing starts early and repeats across four summits, so the pacing mistake here is treating the first climb like a one-off effort instead of the first of several. Hike the steep pitches, keep your heart rate honest, and remember you have three more climbs coming after this one.

The trail underfoot is classic White Mountains singletrack: rocks, roots, and real technical sections mixed in with the climbing. Quick feet matter as much as lung capacity.

Osceola and Tecumseh: the two 4,000-footers

Summiting two official 4,000-footers inside a 50K is a serious ask. Osceola and Tecumseh both bring sustained climbing and technical footing near the top, and the effort to get up them is real regardless of your flat-ground fitness. Pace these by feel and by grade, not by a number on your watch.

The descents off these peaks are where a lot of races get decided. Rocky, root-covered singletrack heading downhill beats up unprepared quads fast, so protect your legs on the way up if you want them to still work on the way down.

Aid stations and the long day between them

The 50K has three aid stations spread across the course, which means real gaps in a race built around four separate climbs. Carry enough fluid and calories to cover the distance between them rather than banking on the next one showing up quickly.

This is a genuine White Mountains day out, likely somewhere between 7 and 12 hours depending on your pace on the climbs. Respect that going in and you will manage the back half a lot better than someone who treated it like a fast forest 50K.

Pacing strategy for a four-summit mountain 50K

With 7,700 feet of gain spread across four separate climbs, Black Bear punishes anyone who paces off flat-ground fitness. This is a race about managing effort across repeated vertical, not chasing a single pace number.

Pace every climb by effort, not by the watch

Your flat pace tells you almost nothing about how to run four separate mountain climbs. Hold a grade-adjusted effort you can repeat four times over, not a number that only makes sense on the first one. A grade-adjusted pace turns your real fitness into honest per-climb targets, so you do not detonate on Osceola because you paced off your road 5K time.

Build a vert-aware finish window before you start

A 50K time from a flatter race will not translate here. The nearly 7,700 feet of gain across four named peaks adds hours most flat-course predictions never account for. A vert-aware finish prediction built for this kind of climbing gives you a realistic window against the 12-hour cutoff, so you know your real buffer instead of guessing at aid stations.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a long day in the mountains

Most runners are out on Black Bear for somewhere around 7 to 12 hours across four significant climbs. That kind of sustained vertical effort makes steady carbohydrate and sodium intake as important as your climbing legs.

Carbs: steady through every climb, not just the flats

Aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and get that number practiced on hilly long runs before race day, not figured out live on Osceola. Climbing hard suppresses appetite fast, so lean on foods and drinks you can get down without thinking about it, and keep the intake steady through each of the four climbs instead of only fueling on the flats between them.

Sodium: plan for a long White Mountains day

Late-August days in the Whites can run warm in the valley even with cooler air up high, so build sodium into your plan, generally in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range depending on how much you sweat and how hot the day turns out. With only three aid stations across four peaks, carry enough to cover the real distance between them.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and Black Bear's climbing with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.

⏵ Train for it with Summit Line

Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact Black Bear course profile, and your projected splits over four summits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Black Bear Trail Races FAQ

How hard is the Black Bear 50K?

Black Bear is a genuinely tough White Mountains 50K, not a runnable forest loop. The course climbs about 7,700 feet over roughly 31 miles and summits four named peaks, including two 4,000-footers, Osceola and Tecumseh, on singletrack that stays technical from start to finish. The 12-hour cutoff (6 AM start, course closes at 6 PM) gives you real room, but the terrain and the vertical gain are what make this one hard, not the clock.

How much climbing is in the Black Bear 50K?

The 50K carries about 7,700 feet of gain, stacked across four named summits including Mount Osceola and Mount Tecumseh, both official 4,000-footers. That is a lot of vertical for a 50K distance, and it comes in repeated climbs rather than one long grind, so your legs never really get a flat stretch to recover on.

How should I fuel for the Black Bear 50K?

Plan for a long day in the mountains, likely 7 to 12 hours depending on your pace and the terrain. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and you want that dialed in before race day, not figured out on the climbs. Late-summer White Mountain days can run warm in the valley and cooler up high, so build sodium into your plan too. Run your numbers for your weight and goal time with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for the Black Bear 50K?

The 50K has a 6 AM start and the course closes at 6 PM, a 12-hour overall cutoff. There are three aid stations along the way. Confirm whether any intermediate cutoffs apply in the current race-day details before you start, since those details can shift year to year.

What is the terrain like at Black Bear?

The 50K runs technical White Mountains singletrack the whole way, climbing and descending four named peaks including Osceola and Tecumseh. Expect rocks, roots, and real elevation change typical of the White Mountain National Forest, not groomed trail. The 23K stays on Waterville Valley's historic trail network, billed as the oldest maintained trail system in the country, and it is a shorter, less committing day than the 50K.

Is the Black Bear 50K a good first White Mountains ultra?

It can work for a well-prepared first-timer, but go in with real respect for the vertical. Nearly 7,700 feet of gain over four named peaks, two of them 4,000-footers, asks for actual mountain training, not just long miles on flat trail. If climbing and technical footing are new to you, the 23K is a smarter first look at this terrain before you take on the full 50K.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and aid stations come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.