⏵ Course guide · Nevada point-to-point
Ferris 50 runs point-to-point across the eastern Carson Valley foothills, from the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Gardnerville to a festival finish at TJ's Corral in Minden, on a mix of single-track, OHV trail, and high desert dirt with views of Job's Peak. I will walk you through the course and the logistics first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a pre-dawn start and a real chance of cold, wet weather, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Visit Carson Valley event page and the official UltraSignup registration page. Aid station cutoff times were not yet published as of this writing; check the official race site for the current splits. Course and logistics details can change year to year.
There is no loop to learn here. All three distances run point-to-point from the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Gardnerville to TJ's Corral at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, so every mile is new terrain until you cross the finish.
Expect dirt, gravel, sand, and a small amount of pavement across single-track, active OHV, and mountain bike trails through the foothills of eastern Carson Valley, with Job's Peak visible for much of the route. The course is patrolled throughout race day, and the race explicitly warns of wild horses, coyotes, and other high desert animals in the area, so this is real, undeveloped terrain rather than a manicured park loop.
The 50 Mile has 7 aid stations at roughly miles 9.5, 15.7, 21.9, 29, 34.6, 41.2, and 46.2, with bag drops available at miles 15.7 and 41.2. The 50K has 4 stations at roughly miles 9.5, 15.7, 21.9, and 26.9, with bag drops at 15.7 and 21.9. The 15K has 3 stations at roughly miles 3, 5, and 7. Because the 50M and 50K both start before sunrise, headlamps are required at the starting line, and volunteers will conduct headlamp checks again after 4 PM as the sun sets, starting at Aid Station #5 for the 50 Mile.
Every distance finishes at TJ's Corral outside the Carson Valley Inn, where a festival runs from mid-morning through late afternoon with music, food, and vendor booths in view of the finish line. Free shuttles run from the Carson Valley Inn to the starting line at the fairgrounds, so plan to park at the finish and ride to your start rather than trying to arrange your own point-to-point logistics.
With no loop to reset your sense of pace, and published overall finish deadlines rather than aid-station-level cutoffs, the job is to build a realistic split plan before you start moving in the pre-dawn dark.
The 50 Mile has 15 hours from a 6 AM start to a 9 PM finish, the 50K has 11 hours from 7 AM to 6 PM, and the 15K has 4 hours from 10 AM to 2 PM. Since aid-station-level cutoffs were not yet published as of this writing, build your own mile-by-mile pacing plan against these overall windows using a grade-adjusted pace target for the trail sections, then confirm against the official cutoff sheet once it is posted.
Both the 50M and 50K start before sunrise, and slower finishers on either distance may find themselves running into dusk again before the finish. Depth perception and footing judgment both suffer in low light on unfamiliar single-track, so plan a slightly more conservative effort during the headlamp-required hours than you would in full daylight, and bank time early rather than relying on making it up once the light returns.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Late-fall northern Nevada swings hard between a cold, pre-dawn start and a mild afternoon, then back toward the 30s again after dark, so your fueling and hydration plan should shift with the clock, not stay fixed all day.
Aid stations sit roughly 5 to 7 miles apart on both the 50M and 50K, close enough to plan a steady carbohydrate intake around them rather than carrying huge reserves between stops. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and use your two bag-drop stations to stage anything you want beyond what the aid stations carry.
High desert air is dry even when the temperature feels mild, so do not underestimate fluid loss just because you are not visibly sweating. Keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning higher if the day runs on the warmer end of the forecast. Plan your layering the same way you plan your fueling: something to shed once the sun is up, and something to add back on before the 4:51 PM sunset if you are still out there.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cold-morning-to-mild-day swing 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 and this point-to-point Carson Valley course. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for mixed OHV and single-track terrain, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is a point-to-point trail race through the foothills of eastern Carson Valley, Nevada, named for George Washington Gale Ferris, inventor of the Ferris Wheel and a Carson Valley native. All three distances, 50 Mile, 50K, and 15K, start in the arena at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Gardnerville and finish in a festival atmosphere at TJ's Corral outside the Carson Valley Inn in Minden. Now in its second year, it is a young but growing addition to Nevada's trail calendar outside the more established Las Vegas race scene.
The course mixes single-track, active OHV and mountain bike trails, and a small amount of pavement through rolling high-desert foothills, with views of Job's Peak and the Carson Valley throughout. The race has not yet published total elevation gain figures for either the 50 Mile or 50K, but the terrain description alone, dirt, gravel, sand, and trail patrolled for wildlife including wild horses and coyotes, tells you this is genuine trail running rather than a groomed path. The point-to-point format also means no repeated loops to learn the terrain on.
The published overall finish times are 9:00 PM for the 50 Mile (15 hours from its 6 AM start), 6:00 PM for the 50K (11 hours from its 7 AM start), and 2:00 PM for the 15K (4 hours from its 10 AM start). Individual aid station cutoff times had not been posted as of this writing; the race states they will be published before the event, so check the current aid station splits on the official site or at packet pickup before you finalize your pacing plan.
Yes, if you are running the 50 Mile or 50K. Both start before sunrise (6:34 AM that day), so a light source is required at the starting line. Headlamps are required again after 4 PM as the sun starts to set, and aid station volunteers will conduct checks, starting at Aid Station #5 for the 50 Mile and based on course time for the 50K. Given a possible late-fall temperature drop into the high 30s after dark, plan your gear for genuine nighttime conditions, not just a backup light.
Early November in northern Nevada typically brings daily highs in the 50s to 60s, dropping into the high 30s at night, with a real possibility of rain or snow. Sunrise lands around 6:34 AM and sunset around 4:51 PM, so 50 Mile and 50K runners start in the dark and may finish in the dark too. Layer for a wide temperature swing across the day, and plan your drop bags at the two bag-drop aid stations (mile 15.7 for both distances, plus mile 21.9 for the 50K and mile 41.2 for the 50M) around changing conditions.
The 50K is a reasonable target if you have some trail experience: four well-spaced aid stations, bag drop support, and a generous 11-hour cutoff from a 7 AM start. The 50 Mile is a bigger commitment given the mixed terrain, possible cold and wet weather, and a required overnight-adjacent start and finish window. Either way, pacers are generally not allowed except by exception through the race director, so plan to run this one on your own legs and your own head.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/ferris-fifty">The Ferris 50 course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/ferris-fifty" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Ferris 50 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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