⏵ Course guide · Wyoming Wilderness community race
El Vaquero Loco has run rugged 50K and 31K courses around Cottonwood Lake in the Wyoming Wilderness near Afton since 2004, "old school fun in Western Wyoming" benefiting the Star Valley High School Track and Cross Country teams. I will walk you through the course format and history first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a genuine wilderness race, with free calculators along the way.
These facts come from the official RunSignup registration page. No elevation gain or cutoff figures are published, and the 2026 edition is currently full with a waiting list only. Check the current year's registration status and course details before you plan.
Both distances converge on Cottonwood Lake as their finish, but they start differently and cover different ground getting there, all through genuine Wyoming Wilderness terrain.
The 50K starts and finishes at Cottonwood Lake, giving 50K runners the earliest start of the day at 6:00 AM. The 31K starts an hour later, at 7:00 AM, from Canyon View Park in the town of Afton, running point-to-point out to the same Cottonwood Lake finish line. That structure means 31K runners get a true point-to-point experience while 50K runners see more of the lake area itself.
The race's own description leans into being "old school fun," rugged terrain in the Wyoming Wilderness rather than a curated, groomed course. Without a published elevation profile, come prepared for steep, undeveloped mountain terrain typical of the Wyoming Range, and do not assume a modest-sounding distance means an easy day.
Without a published elevation chart or cutoff, plan conservatively and let real-time feedback on course guide your effort rather than an assumed flat-course pace.
Rugged Wyoming Wilderness terrain around 6,000-plus feet of base elevation typically means genuine climbing and thinner air affecting your effort more than at sea level. A grade-adjusted pace target, applied conservatively, keeps you from starting too fast on a course you have not run before.
With no published course details to plan against precisely, use a recent race result to estimate an honest, comparable effort for either the 50K or 31K distance, then build in extra margin given the unknown terrain and elevation.
⏵ Free tools to plan your race
Early morning starts at high elevation in Western Wyoming typically mean a cool beginning that warms quickly once the sun is up over exposed wilderness terrain.
Aim for roughly 50 to 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour depending on which distance you run, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. Wyoming's dry mountain air can mask how much fluid you are actually losing, so drink on a schedule rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a dry high-elevation Wyoming 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 for whichever distance you are chasing at El Vaquero Loco. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for rugged, high-elevation wilderness terrain, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The race markets itself honestly as "old school fun in Western Wyoming," rugged terrain in the Wyoming Wilderness rather than a manicured course. No elevation gain figure is published, but a point-to-point 31K starting in Afton and a 50K starting and finishing at Cottonwood Lake, both moving through genuine wilderness terrain, tells you this is a real mountain race with steep sections, not a groomed park loop.
Both distances finish at Cottonwood Lake, but they start differently. The 50K starts and finishes at Cottonwood Lake, a loop or out-and-back structure depending on the year’s routing, while the 31K starts at Canyon View Park in the town of Afton and runs point-to-point to the same Cottonwood Lake finish. The 50K starts an hour earlier, at 6:00 AM, with the 31K following at 7:00 AM.
No cutoff or elevation data is published, so plan conservatively for a genuinely rugged Wyoming Wilderness course at high elevation. Aim for roughly 50 to 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour depending on your distance, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting for early-August mountain heat and Wyoming's dry air. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 2026 edition, held August 1, 2026, is full for both the 50K and 31K, with only a waiting list available; 2026 registration closed July 31, 2026. This is a small, community-run race that has sold out, so if you want to run a future edition, watch for registration to open well in advance rather than waiting until close to race day.
El Vaquero Loco has run since 2004, making it one of the longer-standing grassroots ultras in Wyoming. It is explicitly a community race and a benefit for the Star Valley High School Track and Cross Country teams, giving it a local, homegrown character that many bigger races have lost. That two-decade-plus history, on the same rugged Wyoming Wilderness terrain, is part of what makes it worth seeking out.
Expect true Wyoming Wilderness terrain around Cottonwood Lake: rugged, steep, and largely undeveloped, consistent with the race's own "old school" framing. Without a published elevation profile, treat this as a genuinely demanding mountain course and train accordingly rather than assuming a modest total distance means an easy day.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/el-vaquero-loco">The El Vaquero Loco course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/el-vaquero-loco" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="El Vaquero Loco course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and registration status 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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