⏵ Course guide · Montana ridge classic
The Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run traverses the crest of the Bridger Mountains above Bozeman, Montana, roughly 20 miles from Fairy Lake Trailhead at 7,600 feet, over Sacagawea Peak at 9,650 feet and a string of ridge summits, down to the Fish Hatchery at 4,900 feet. A lottery-entry classic with past winners including Jim Walmsley. I will walk you through the elevation profile and terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for an exposed, cupless mountain race, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official RunSignup event page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
From Fairy Lake to the Fish Hatchery, the route climbs above tree line early and stays there for most of the day, tagging a string of named peaks along the Bridger crest.
The route leaves the forested Fairy Lake parking area at 7,600 feet and climbs steeply above tree line into a granite basin to gain a pass, then to Sacagawea Peak at 9,650 feet, where a minimal water-only aid station waits. This opening climb sets the tone: no warm-up mile, no easing in.
From Sacagawea, a vague trail leads to Naya Nuki peak, then down a steep, loose chute to gain the Foothills Trail, which runs south to Ross Pass at 7,650 feet (aid and medical support). From there the route climbs again along the Bridger ridge itself, rocky, sometimes braided and hard to follow, sometimes exposed, up to the Bridger ski lift at 8,500 feet.
The ridge continues, less technical now, to Saddle Peak (9,150 ft), then Baldy Mountain (8,900 ft), where some limestone scrambling is required, then smooth ground to Baldy Peak (8,680 ft, aid and medical). From there it is a steep, sustained descent through a brief respite at 7,100 feet (minimal aid) to the M parking area, the Drinking Horse tunnel, and the finish at the Fish Hatchery, 4,900 feet.
With hard checkpoint cutoffs at Sacagawea, Ross Pass, and the Bridger ski lift, the race gives you real deadlines to pace against well before the finish.
You have 1 hour 35 minutes from the 6:30 AM start to reach Sacagawea Peak, a steep, sustained climb from 7,600 to 9,650 feet. A grade-adjusted pace target for that opening climb tells you honestly whether your fitness matches this early deadline, since missing it ends your day immediately.
The rocky, braided ridge between Ross Pass and the Bridger ski lift, and the limestone scrambling near Baldy Mountain, will run slower than the cutoffs alone suggest. A vert-aware finish prediction, built conservatively for technical, exposed ridge terrain, helps you decide how much buffer to carry into each checkpoint rather than banking on clean, runnable pace.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Aid stations here carry water and limited medical supplies and snacks, not a full spread, and there are no cups. Plan your fueling to be mostly self-supplied.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and carry the bulk of it yourself. Aid stations along the ridge are minimal by design, hauled in by volunteers with no road access, so treat them as a water refill and safety check, not your primary fuel source.
This is a cupless race: bring a water bottle, flask, or bladder to fill at each aid station. Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range is a reasonable baseline, adjusted for August heat on exposed, high-altitude terrain where sun exposure runs high even at elevation above 8,000 feet.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an exposed, high-altitude August day 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 Bridger ridge elevation profile, and your projected checkpoint splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for exposed alpine climbing and descending, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run is a remote, technical ~20-mile traverse of the Bridger Mountains crest above Bozeman, with essentially the entire route on unstable footing, steep ascents and descents, and exposed ridgeline. No part of the course can be reached by road, aid stations run cupless (you carry your own water vessel), and the official course page is direct that mountain running experience matters here. Past winners of this lottery-entry classic include Jim Walmsley.
The organizers do not publish a single total elevation-gain figure, but the point-by-point profile tells the story: from Fairy Lake at 7,600 feet, the route climbs above tree line to Sacagawea Peak at 9,650 feet, drops to Ross Pass at 7,650 feet, climbs again along the ridge past the Bridger ski lift (8,500 ft), Saddle Peak (9,150 ft), and Baldy Mountain (8,900 ft) to Baldy Peak at 8,680 feet, then descends steeply to the Fish Hatchery finish at 4,900 feet. That is repeated, sustained climbing and descending along an exposed ridge, not one clean number.
This is a cupless race: aid stations have water but no cups, so you need your own water vessel to fill at each stop. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, and carry what you think you will need beyond water, since aid stations carry limited medical supplies and snacks rather than a full spread. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day, then pack your own vessel and supplies to match.
From the 6:30 AM start at Fairy Lake, you need to reach Sacagawea Peak by 8:05 AM, Ross Pass by 9:40 AM, the Bridger ski lift aid station by 11:05 AM, and the finish by 2:30 PM, an 8-hour overall window. Any participant who misses a checkpoint cutoff is automatically disqualified and transported back to the finish area by volunteers.
Nearly the entire route runs above tree line on unstable, sometimes braided and hard-to-follow trail, with steep, loose sections (notably the descent from Naya Nuki peak to the Foothills Trail) and limestone scrambling around Baldy Mountain. No part of the course is accessible by road, so all aid station supplies are hauled in by volunteers, and weather along the exposed ridge can change fast.
Entry is through a lottery, not open registration. The field is capped at 250 runners under the US Forest Service permit, and applicants submit an application with a valid credit card, only charged if selected. Registered participants get sorted into start waves 5 minutes apart based on their requested wave, estimated finish time, and whether it is their first time running the race. Volunteering in a given season is described as a promising way to improve your odds the following year.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/bridger-ridge-run">The Bridger Ridge Run course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/bridger-ridge-run" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Bridger Ridge Run course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>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.
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