⏵ Course guide · Far Northern California
The Jackalope Lope climbs about 6,400 feet over its 52K route through Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, up and over Panther Gap to a summit token grab on Kanka Peak. I will walk you through the climbs and the park logistics, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for the Redding Trail Alliance's flagship ultra, with free calculators along the way.
These facts come from the official Redding Trail Alliance race page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
The 52K follows the 20.5 mile route out to the Brandy Creek campground area, then turns and climbs straight up and over Panther Gap on Peltier Valley Road before a final push to the summit of Kanka Peak and back.
All three distances share the opening stretch through rugged and technical Brandy Creek Trail, with a break on the mellower Rich Gulch Trail before the trail turns steep again. The descent back down Brandy Creek requires real attention, the course notes call it a section where you can easily "take a soil sample" if you lose focus.
Only the 32-mile distance continues past the Brandy Creek campground, turning up and over Panther Gap on a fairly equal climb-and-descend before a final push straight up to Kanka Peak. At the top, you grab a token to prove you summited, then retrace your steps back down and along the Brandy Creek trail to the finish.
The race offers drop bag service for the longer distances, useful given the length and climbing on the 52K. Course changes happen from year to year as the Alliance works with Whiskeytown park staff to keep trails clear, so review the current-year aid station and cutoff chart on the official site close to race day rather than relying on a prior year's layout.
The 52K effectively front-loads a Brandy Creek climb, then saves its hardest work, Panther Gap and Kanka Peak, for the back half of the race, so pacing discipline early pays off twice.
A grade-adjusted pace target helps you avoid burning your legs on the early Brandy Creek climb, since the harder test, Panther Gap followed immediately by the Kanka Peak push, comes later in the 52K. Treat the first climb as a warm-up effort, not a statement.
A vert-aware finish-time projection built from your training and this course's roughly 6,400 feet of gain tells you honestly whether the standard 7:00 AM start gives you enough daylight, or whether the 6:30 AM early-start option is the smarter call for your pace.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-October in far Northern California typically runs mild to cool, but the exposed climbing sections on Panther Gap and Kanka Peak can still bring real sun exposure.
Aim for 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 52K, and use your drop bag to stage extra fuel ahead of the Panther Gap and Kanka Peak sections specifically, where your effort and calorie burn will spike well above the flatter opening miles.
Keep sodium in the 400 to 600 mg per liter range as a baseline, leaning higher if the exposed sections on the way to Kanka Peak run warmer than the forested Brandy Creek and Rich Gulch stretches.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Jackalope Lope's two-climb profile 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 exact Panther Gap to Kanka Peak course profile, so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The 52K, at about 32 miles with roughly 6,400 feet of climbing, is a genuinely demanding day in Whiskeytown's waterfall-and-oak country, headlined by a push up and over Panther Gap and a summit push to Kanka Peak, where you grab a token to prove you made it before turning around. Whiskeytown NRA is known among Redding-area runners for challenging trails and maximum vert, and the Jackalope Lope is the Redding Trail Alliance's flagship showcase of exactly that terrain.
The official course page estimates about 6,400 feet of elevation gain for the 52K, earned largely through the climb up and over Panther Gap on Peltier Valley Road followed by the out-and-back push to the top of Kanka Peak. The shorter 20.5 mile and 9 mile courses follow a portion of the same route on Brandy Creek and Rich Gulch trails without the Panther Gap and Kanka Peak sections, so they carry proportionally less climbing.
The 52K is a long day on technical Northern California singletrack with real climbing, so plan on 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour once you are several miles in. Drop bag service is offered for the longer distances, so use that to stage specific fuel for the Panther Gap and Kanka Peak sections where the effort spikes hardest. Build your specific numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Aid station locations and cutoff times are published on a course-specific chart on the official Redding Trail Alliance site rather than as a flat list, so check that chart directly before race day for the exact numbers on your distance. The 6:30 AM early-start option for the 52K gives runners who want extra time on course a full hour of buffer ahead of the standard 7:00 AM start.
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area sits in far Northern California's Shasta Cascade region, known for waterfalls, oak woodland, and rugged, genuinely steep trail. Mid-October weather here typically runs mild to cool, though conditions in this part of the state can still bring warm afternoons, so check the specific forecast and be ready for exposed climbing sections in direct sun.
Yes. Whiskeytown is a National Recreation Area, and the race requires a valid National Park Pass, available at the Whiskeytown visitor center or online in advance. Sort this out before race morning rather than at the gate, since parking and staging happen at the Brandy Creek "A" Parking lot inside the park boundary.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/jackalope-lope">The The Jackalope Lope course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/jackalope-lope" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="The Jackalope Lope 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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