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⏵ Course guide · North Carolina ultra

Pisgah 555 Course Guide

The Pisgah 555 is a 39.7-mile beast on nearly 100% Pisgah singletrack, out of Pisgah National Forest just outside Brevard, North Carolina, and it is exactly as rugged as that sounds: rocky, rooty, steep up and steep down, with something like 7,325 feet of climbing over classics like Black Mountain, Turkey Pen Gap, Laurel Mountain, and Pilot Rock. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the vert and the technical footing. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Pisgah 555 quick facts

Date
Saturday, October 3, 2026 (sign-in opens Friday evening)
Location
Pisgah National Forest, start/finish near the Davidson River Campground, just outside Brevard, NC
Distance
39.7 miles (billed as the 55.5K), nearly 100% Pisgah singletrack
Elevation gain
About 7,325 ft of climbing
Start
8:00 AM
Cutoff
10:00 PM finish cutoff (about 14 hours on course)
Aid stations
Three rest areas (around miles 10, 19, and 28), drop bags allowed at each
Qualifier
No Western States, Hardrock, or UTMB qualifier status listed by the race

These facts come from the official race site and UltraRunning. The Pisgah 555 is open to both runners and mountain bikers, so confirm the current date, start time, cutoff, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where the Pisgah 555 is won and lost

The 555 is a big loop through the heart of Pisgah, about 39.7 miles and roughly 7,325 feet of climbing on nearly 100% singletrack. It starts and finishes near the Davidson River Campground just outside Brevard, and the route strings together a hit list of Pisgah classics. This is the same rough, technical trail the area is famous for, and it does not let up.

The climbs: Black Mountain, Laurel, and the named beasts

The vert here is not one long grind, it is a series of real Pisgah climbs over named terrain like Black Mountain, Turkey Pen Gap, Laurel Mountain, and Pilot Rock. They come in chunks, they get steep, and a lot of them are more efficiently power-hiked than run. Be honest about that early. If you try to run grades you should be hiking in the first half, you will pay for it on the climbs that come later when your legs are already cooked.

Patience is the whole game on the way up. Keep your effort even, hike the steep pitches without guilt, and treat the early climbs as something to get through cheaply, not race. The day is long and the back-half climbs are where it gets decided.

The descents: technical, rough, and hard on the quads

Pisgah descents are not a free ride. They are rocky, rooty, and steep, and they punish your quads in a way smooth trail never will. The footing demands constant attention, so you cannot just open up and let gravity do the work. Late in the race, when your legs are trashed and you are tired, these descents are exactly where a good day can quietly fall apart into a slow, careful shuffle.

Train the downhills specifically. Time on technical, rough trail teaches your legs to absorb the pounding and your feet to react, and that durability is honestly what separates finishers from people who blow up here. If you only train climbing and smooth running, the Pisgah descents will find you out.

The footing and the gaps between aid

There are three rest areas on course, roughly around miles 10, 19, and 28, stocked with water, food, and first aid, and you can send a drop bag to each one. That sounds like decent coverage, but the gaps between them are long on this kind of terrain, so carry enough fluid and calories to get yourself comfortably from one to the next instead of rationing to empty. Use the drop bags: spare socks, your preferred fuel, anything that keeps you moving.

The bigger thing is the trail itself. Nearly 100% singletrack means rocks, roots, and ruts the entire way, shared with mountain bikers, and if it has rained the rock and roots get slick. Wet Pisgah is a different, slower race. Plan your shoes and your descending for trail that can be greasy, and respect that the technical footing is a constant tax on your legs and your focus.

Pacing strategy for a rugged, climbing-heavy 40 miler

With about 7,325 feet of gain over 39.7 miles of technical singletrack, the Pisgah 555 is about managing effort and protecting your legs, not chasing a pace chart. Run the climbs by feel, hike the steep stuff early, and save something for the rough descents late.

Pace by grade and effort, not by your flat splits

Your road or smooth-trail pace means nothing on Pisgah singletrack. What matters is grade-adjusted effort: hold a steady output you can sustain up the climbs, power-hike the steep pitches, and accept that the technical descents are slower than the grade alone suggests. The classic mistake is running the early climbs too hard because you feel fresh, then unraveling on the later vert. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing and descending targets so you do not torch the first half.

Build a vert-aware, terrain-honest finish prediction

Do not guess your Pisgah 555 finish off a road marathon or even a smooth-trail ultra time. The 7,300-plus feet of climbing, the rocky technical footing, and the rough descents all add real time, and the 14-hour cutoff is more meaningful here than the distance makes it look. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this much climbing and technical trail gives you a realistic window, so you can work back into the cutoff and know roughly how much buffer you have along the way instead of guessing.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a long day on rough trail

Most runners are out on the Pisgah 555 for a long time, often somewhere in the 8 to 13 hour range depending on fitness and conditions, with long gaps between the three rest areas. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid just as important as your legs.

Carbs: steady, trained, and easy to get down

For a day this long, aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and only push the higher end if your gut is trained for it. The longer you are out and the more beat up you get, the harder it is to keep eating, so keep your intake steady and simple instead of gambling on big late doses. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on long, hilly runs so 80-plus grams an hour feels normal, not like an experiment you are running for the first time at mile 30 in the woods.

Sodium and fluid: cover the long gaps between aid

Carry enough fluid and salt to get comfortably across the long stretches between the three rest areas, rather than rationing to the next one and arriving empty. A reasonable starting point is roughly 300 to 700 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid, leaning higher if you are a heavy or salty sweater or if the day turns warm. Weigh yourself before and after a long training run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number and use your drop bags to restock exactly what works for you.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Pisgah 555 distance 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 Pisgah 555 course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the climbing and the technical trail, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Pisgah 555 FAQ

How hard is the Pisgah 555?

It is hard, and it earns the reputation. You are looking at 39.7 miles of nearly 100% Pisgah singletrack with about 7,325 feet of climbing, and Pisgah trails are rugged: rocky, rooty, rutted, steep up and steep down. This is not a buffed, runnable course where you can zone out and tick off splits. The climbs are real, the descents beat up your legs, and the footing demands attention the whole way, so finishing is much more about durability and patience than raw speed.

How much climbing is in the Pisgah 555?

About 7,325 feet of total elevation gain across the 39.7-mile course, per the official race description. That vert is stacked into a handful of big Pisgah climbs over named terrain like Black Mountain, Turkey Pen Gap, Laurel Mountain, and Pilot Rock. It is not one long grind, it is repeated punchy mountain climbing with technical descents in between, which is part of why the day adds up the way it does.

What is the cutoff for the Pisgah 555?

The race starts at 8:00 AM and the finish cutoff is 10:00 PM, which gives you roughly 14 hours to cover the 39.7 miles. That sounds generous for the distance, but on this much rugged Pisgah singletrack and vert it is a real working day for a lot of runners. There can be intermediate timing along the way too, so confirm the current cutoff structure in the race-day details before you start and do not bank on saving all your buffer for the end.

How many aid stations does the Pisgah 555 have?

Three rest areas along the course, set roughly around miles 10, 19, and 28, stocked with water and food like PB&J, fruit, and salty and sweet snacks plus first aid. You can send a drop bag to each one (typically a one-gallon zip-lock per station), which is worth using on a course this long and rugged. The gaps between aid are long, so carry enough fluid and calories to get yourself comfortably from one to the next.

What is the terrain and weather like at the Pisgah 555?

The course is almost entirely Pisgah singletrack, which means rocky, rooty, technical trail with steep climbs and steep, rough descents, not smooth groomed paths. It is the same legendary terrain Pisgah is known for, shared with mountain bikers. Early October in the Pisgah and Brevard area tends to bring cool mornings warming into mild days, with the real wildcards being rain, wet rock, and slick roots, which make the technical sections noticeably harder. Plan your footwear and your descending for trail that can be greasy.

Is the Pisgah 555 a good first ultra?

It can be a great goal race, but it is a demanding place to attempt your first ultra. The technical Pisgah footing, the 7,300-plus feet of climbing, and the rough descents ask for specific preparation: real time on rocky, rooty trail, practice both climbing and descending steep grades, and a fueling plan you have rehearsed on long days. If you put in that kind of mountain training, the roughly 14-hour cutoff gives most prepared runners room to finish. If your background is mostly road or smooth trail, build the technical chops first.

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.