⏵ Course guide · Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas
The Ouachita Trail 50 is the oldest enduring AURA event in Arkansas, and the course earns that history: a climb over Pinnacle Mountain, then an out-and-back along the north shore of Lake Maumelle on rocky single-track. I will walk you through the course, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for either the 50 mile or 50K distance, with free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official AURA race pages. Start time, cutoffs, elevation gain, and aid station spacing were not published there at the time of writing, so confirm those with AURA (arkultrarunning@gmail.com) before you build a crew plan.
The official race description keeps it simple: a picturesque climb over Pinnacle Mountain, then an out-and-back traversing the rolling hills along the north shore of Lake Maumelle, on the eastern part of the 222 mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail.
The climb over Pinnacle Mountain comes early, and it is the defined elevation feature of the day. Treat it as the moment to run conservatively no matter how fresh you feel, since everything after it is the long rolling out-and-back along Lake Maumelle.
Once you are past Pinnacle Mountain, the course settles into rolling hills along the north shore of Lake Maumelle on scenic, rocky single-track. An out-and-back format means you will see the lead runners coming back at you, which is a good pacing check: if you are still climbing outbound when the leaders are already on their way in, adjust your expectations rather than your effort.
Both distances share the same rocky single-track character, so the decision comes down to your current long-run fitness and how much time-on-feet you have banked, not a difference in terrain difficulty. If cutoffs and aid station spacing are not yet published for the year you are targeting, reach out to AURA directly before you commit to a distance.
The early climb is the moment most 50-mile and 50K runners overcook their day. Bank effort, not time, over Pinnacle Mountain and let the long out-and-back reward the patience.
Hike the steep sections of Pinnacle Mountain rather than trying to run them, and use a heart-rate or effort cap rather than a pace target for that first stretch. Once you are onto the rolling Lake Maumelle out-and-back, settle into a rhythm you can hold for the rest of the distance, whether that is 50K or the full 50 miles.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
Mid-April in central Arkansas can already run warm, so plan your carbs and sodium with real heat in mind, not just distance.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the move for the 50 mile, a bit lower for the 50K if your effort runs shorter and harder. Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range is a reasonable starting point, adjusted upward if April in the Ouachitas runs warm on race day. Since aid station spacing was not published on the pages fetched for this guide, plan to carry more than you think you will need until you confirm the current-year support plan.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an April Arkansas 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 Pinnacle Mountain climb this course opens with. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the climbing and time-on-feet strength the Ouachita Trail 50 demands, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The race opens with a picturesque climb over Pinnacle Mountain, then settles into an out-and-back along the north shore of Lake Maumelle on the eastern part of the 222 mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail. The official race description calls the footing "scenic, rocky, single-track," so expect a real trail surface the whole way rather than gravel or jeep road, with one significant climb up front and rolling hills for the rest of the distance.
The Pinnacle Mountain climb early in the race is the single hardest feature, a real elevation test before you settle into the longer out-and-back along Lake Maumelle. Rocky single-track for 50 miles or 50K is a genuine technical and endurance challenge on its own, and this is the oldest enduring AURA event for a reason, it has decades of Arkansas ultrarunners treating it as a serious early-season or spring test.
The official race pages did not publish specific cutoff times at the time this guide was written. Check the current-year race page or contact AURA directly before you commit your training and crew plan around a specific pace.
The Pinnacle Mountain climb up front means you should not treat this as a flat confidence-builder, and with cutoff times not published here, a first-time 50 mile runner should confirm the time limits directly with AURA before entering. That said, it is a long-running, well-organized regional event with a real community of Arkansas ultrarunners, which makes it a solid choice if you already have a completed 50K or a strong long-run base and want your first 50 on true single-track.
The next running is Saturday, April 18, 2026. It typically runs in spring, and as the oldest enduring AURA event it has a long, consistent history in that window. Confirm the exact date on the official race page before you register, since race dates can shift year to year.
Registration runs through RunSignUp online, and the race also accepts a mail-in paper registration form for runners who prefer it. Both options are linked from the official AURA race page.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/ouachita-trail-50">The Ouachita Trail 50 course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/ouachita-trail-50" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Ouachita Trail 50 course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. Course, date, and logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with AURA before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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