⏵ Course guide · Moab canyon country
Canyonlands Ultra runs sandy washes and technical double track on the Behind the Rocks Trail south of Moab, Utah, with the La Sal Mountains and towering sandstone domes as the backdrop. I will walk you through the terrain and the elevation numbers across every distance, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for desert double track. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Mad Moose Events page. Check the current year details before you commit. Race logistics can change year to year.
The race starts and finishes on the Behind the Rocks Trail, about 13 miles south of Moab, with all six distances sharing the same general terrain character.
Every distance sits in roughly the same 4,500 to 5,700 ft elevation band, so it is not thin air that defines the challenge, it is how much of that band you climb and descend repeatedly. The 15K totals 689 ft of gain/loss, the Half Marathon 1,119 ft, the Marathon 2,608 ft, the 50K 2,644 ft, the 50 Mile 5,220 ft, and the 100K 7,828 ft.
The course description calls out sandy washes and technical double track as the defining terrain, with views of the La Sal Mountains, towering sandstone domes, and expansive canyons. Sand is genuinely slower than firm trail, so do not extrapolate your pace from a typical mountain ultra.
This is a cup-less event: bring your own reusable cup for water and drinks at aid stations, since water dispensers are provided but disposable cups are not. Starts are staggered by distance, 6:00 AM for the 100K and 50 Mile, 7:00 AM for the 50K and Marathon, 8:00 AM for the Half Marathon, and 8:30 AM for the 15K.
Sandy washes and technical double track slow you more than raw elevation numbers suggest, so build your pacing plan around terrain, not just the gain/loss totals.
If your reference races are on firmer singletrack, expect this course to run slower than the elevation numbers alone predict, the sandy washes cost real time and energy. Use a race-time prediction as a starting point, then discount it for the terrain, especially for the longer 50 Mile and 100K.
With totals ranging from 689 ft at the 15K up to 7,828 ft at the 100K, match your goal pace to your own distance's real vertical demand rather than assuming a flat desert course. The 50 Mile at 5,220 ft and the 100K at 7,828 ft both carry serious cumulative climbing.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
The event provides water dispensers at aid stations, but detailed aid-station mileage and cutoffs live in a separate athlete guide, so build a plan flexible enough to adjust once you have that document.
Since this is a cup-less race, carry your own reusable cup along with a hydration setup you trust. A reasonable starting point for the 50 Mile or 100K is 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while moving and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusted for a late October desert day near Moab.
Late October in Moab can swing from cold mornings to warm afternoons, so plan fueling and hydration that can flex with a staggered start and a temperature range across your time on course, not a single fixed forecast.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a late October Moab 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 training plan built around YOUR fitness and the sandy washes and technical double track this course demands. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the durability your chosen distance asks for, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It scales sharply with distance. The 15K has 689 ft of gain/loss, the Half Marathon 1,119 ft, the Marathon 2,608 ft, the 50K 2,644 ft, the 50 Mile 5,220 ft, and the 100K 7,828 ft. All distances sit in roughly the same elevation band, between about 4,500 and 5,700 ft, so it is the terrain underfoot as much as raw altitude that defines the effort.
Expect sandy washes and technical double track through canyon country south of Moab, with views of the La Sal Mountains, towering sandstone domes, and expansive canyons. This is not smooth singletrack, the sand and technical footing slow you down more than the elevation numbers alone suggest.
With 7,828 ft of gain/loss across sandy washes and technical double track, the 100K is a genuine desert ultra test. The terrain underfoot, not just the vertical, is what separates this from a smoother mountain ultra of similar length, sand saps energy in a way that firm trail does not.
Yes. Canyonlands Ultra is a cup-less event, so you need to carry a personal reusable cup for water and drinks at aid stations. Water dispensers are provided at the start/finish and at aid stations, but there are no disposable cups handed out.
The 50K, with 2,644 ft of gain/loss, or even the Marathon at 2,608 ft, are reasonable entry points to desert ultra terrain without committing to the 50 Mile or 100K's much larger vertical totals. The staggered starts and multiple distance options make the event welcoming across a wide range of experience levels.
The start/finish is on the Behind the Rocks Trail, about 13 miles south of Moab on a single-lane road. Turn right just past mile marker 113 onto a dirt road, then continue 2.5 miles to the start line. Packet pickup is Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, with additional pickup race morning from 5:15 to 8:45 AM.
Beginning in 2025, Canyonlands Ultra launched the Triple Crown of Moab series through Mad Moose Events, the same organizer behind other Run Moab Series races. Check the official site for the other events in the series if you are chasing the full crown.
Link this guide
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/canyonlands-ultra">The Canyonlands Ultra course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/canyonlands-ultra" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Canyonlands Ultra course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course, cutoffs, and logistics 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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