⏵ Course guide · Larch-season alpine ultra
Mad Meadows climbs above 6,000 feet on the 50K and 7,000 feet on the 50M through the Chiwawa River Valley near Leavenworth, timed for golden larch season with views toward Glacier Peak. I will walk you through the course and its cutoffs first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for technical, high-elevation terrain. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Evergreen Trail Runs event page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and required gear before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Both distances start down Chiwawa River Road (USFS 62). The 50K turns toward the Minnow Creek trailhead, while the 50M continues to Rock Creek Aid Station before beginning a long climb out of the river valley to Basalt Pass.
The 50K climbs Minnow Creek trail toward Minnow Aid Station, gradually ascending Minnow Ridge above Chikamin Creek before rejoining the 50M at Basalt Aid Station. The 50M starts with a 7-mile flat warm-up on Chiwawa River Road, then climbs gradually along Rock Creek before turning into steep switchbacks up to Basalt Pass. Both distances then climb back up to Basalt Pass a second time together.
After the second Basalt Pass climb, a beautifully graded ridge climb toward Garland Ridge reveals wild pumice slopes from a Dakobed eruption roughly 1,700 years ago, speckled with golden larch trees. A technical, punchy descent down Garland Ridge with 360-degree views leads into Chikamin Aid Station, where 50M runners pass through a special north-facing talus slope dipped in gold from old-growth larches twice.
After Chikamin, the two distances split for good. The 50K descends above Chikamin Creek to the Chiwawa River and the finish. The 50M climbs back up toward Chikamin Ridge, through an old burn, and down into the namesake Mad Meadows on the Mad River Trail, reaching a hike-in aid station with simple fare before a final descent on the winding Alder Ridge singletrack and 4.5 miles alongside Chiwawa River Road to the finish.
With both distances climbing to Basalt Pass twice and topping out above 6,000 to 7,000 feet, managing effort on the repeated climbs matters more than any single push.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the steep switchbacks up to Basalt Pass gives you an honest number for what you can hold, especially since both distances climb this section twice. Going out too hard on the first pass leaves little in reserve for the second.
The 50K's 8:30 AM cutoff at Minnow Aid (mile 4), on a 6:30 AM start, is a tight 2-hour window early in the race. A vert-aware finish prediction checked against that first checkpoint, not just the later ones, catches a slow start before it becomes a real problem.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Early October at elevation can start cold and turn exposed and sun-baked on the pumice slopes near Garland Ridge, so plan for both extremes.
Aim for roughly 55 to 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Basalt and Chikamin Aid Stations serve hearty hot food, but the Mad Meadows Aid Station is hike-in only and carries simple fare, gels, blocks, water, and electrolytes, so 50M runners should carry enough to bridge that stretch comfortably.
Sodium in the 400 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, leaning higher through the exposed, sun-baked pumice slopes near Garland Ridge where there is little tree cover. Cooler, higher sections near the passes can sit toward the lower end.
⏵ 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-elevation Cascades 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 double-pass Mad Meadows climbing profile, and your projected splits against the cutoff ladder. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for high-elevation technical vert, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Evergreen's own copy is direct: "this is not a course to underestimate." The 50K tops out above 6,000 feet and the 50M above 7,000 feet, with long, technical sections and steep climbs mixed among smooth single track through the Chiwawa and Mad River valleys. No pacers are allowed, and the required gear list, headlamp for the 50M, rain jacket and real water capacity for both, tells you the organizers expect a genuinely demanding day at elevation.
The official course page states peak altitudes rather than total gain: the 50K climbs above 6,000 feet and the 50M above 7,000 feet at their highest points. No total elevation-gain figure is published for either distance. What is clear from the course description is that both distances climb to Basalt Pass twice, once during the 50M's approach and again after the two distances rejoin, adding real repeated vert beyond a single push.
Early October at elevation in the Eastern Cascades can swing from cool mornings to exposed, sun-baked climbing on pumice slopes near Garland Ridge. Aim for roughly 55 to 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 400 to 700 mg per liter range. Basalt and Chikamin Aid Stations serve hearty hot food, but the hike-in Mad Meadows Aid Station only carries simple fare like gels, blocks, water, and electrolytes, so plan your carries accordingly on that stretch. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The cutoff ladder runs: 8:00 AM at Rock Creek Aid (50M mile 7), 8:30 AM at Minnow Aid (50K mile 4), 10:00 AM at Basalt Aid (50M mile 13), 2:00 PM at Chikamin Aid (50M mile 26, 50K mile 9), 6:00 PM at Entiat Aid (50M mile 44, 50K mile 27), and an 8:00 PM course close. With the 50M starting at 6:00 AM and the 50K at 6:30 AM, both distances have real time pressure early: the 50K's 2-hour window to Minnow Aid at mile 4 is a tight opening checkpoint worth training for specifically.
The course mixes smooth single track along the Mad River and through Mad Meadows itself with long, technical sections and steep switchback climbs, including a stretch up to Basalt Pass and a graded ridge climb toward Garland Ridge, where the geology shifts to wild pumice slopes from a Dakobed eruption roughly 1,700 years ago, dotted with golden larch trees. The 50M gets a bonus lap through a north-facing talus slope near Chikamin Aid Station, described by the race as a special, gold-dipped section, twice.
Evergreen's own warning not to underestimate this course is a real signal: peak altitudes above 6,000 to 7,000 feet, long technical sections, no pacers, and required gear including a headlamp for the 50M all point to a course built for runners with some mountain ultra experience already. If you are considering a first 50K here, take the required gear list seriously and make sure you have trained on similarly technical, high-elevation terrain before race day.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/mad-meadows">The Mad Meadows course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/mad-meadows" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Mad Meadows 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.
The timeline
Get the week-by-week countdown for this race: when to build, when to peak, when to taper.
One email with the timeline, plus training notes for this race. Unsubscribe any time.