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⏵ Course guide · Wyoming ultra

Sinks Canyon Trail Races Course Guide

The Sinks Canyon Trail Races are the Lander Running Club’s beloved community mountain runs in Sinks Canyon, the doorway to Wyoming’s Wind River Range, and the 50K is the real deal: a steep climber’s trail up to Fairfield Ridge, a high traverse near 9,000 feet, and a long drop back through the wildflowers to the finish. I’ll walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the climbing and the altitude. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Sinks Canyon Trail Races quick facts

Date
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Location
Sinks Canyon, Shoshone National Forest, near Lander, WY (gateway to the Wind River Range)
Distances
50K, 18K (about 11.2 mi), 6K, and a kids’ 1K
Elevation gain
50K: about 5,800 ft · 18K: about 2,000 ft
50K start
6:15 AM at Bruce’s parking area (18K starts 8:00 AM)
Cutoff
50K: about 10 hr 15 min overall
Aid stations (50K)
Four, at roughly miles 7.5, 12, 20, and 25
Qualifier
No Western States, UTMB, or Hardrock qualifier status listed by the race

These facts come from the official race site and UltraSignup. Check the current date, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where Sinks Canyon is won and lost

The 50K starts at Bruce’s parking area and covers about 31 miles with roughly 5,800 feet of climbing, mostly on technical, swooping singletrack with some rugged two-track mixed in. It is front-loaded with vert and it spends real time up high, so the way you handle the opening climb and the altitude sets up your whole day.

The opening climb: Fairfield Ridge and Timbertop

You get a mellow warmup along the Sinks Canyon river trail, then cross the highway and hit a steep climber’s trail that goes up and just keeps going. This grind to Fairfield Ridge is where the race quietly gets decided. Hike the steep pitches efficiently and keep your effort honest and you crest it with legs left over. Hammer it because it feels good early and the high country will collect on that debt later.

Over the top you drop on technical trail toward Sheep Creek and then climb again through wildflowers toward Timbertop Mountain before the Fairfield aid station around mile 7.5. This first chunk is rocky and steep in both directions, so quick feet and patience matter as much as raw fitness. Treat the early climb like a long investment, not a race.

The high country: Middle Fork, Worthen Meadows, Fry Lake

After Fairfield you head back down toward the canyon and then climb the rocky Middle Fork trail up into the high country, and this is where the altitude shows up. The course tops out near 9,000 feet around Worthen Meadows and Fry Lake, rolling through thick forest and open meadow along the reservoir. If you live at low elevation, expect the thin air to make a moderate effort feel hard up here, with heavier breathing and maybe a little lightheadedness.

The footing up top mixes runnable singletrack with rockier sections, and in a big snow year you can still find lingering snow or mud through the high meadows in mid-June. Keep your effort capped, keep eating, and resist the urge to surge just because the grade eases. The high section is long, and burning a match here costs you on the descent.

The descent: Brewer’s Trail home, fast if you saved it

The way home drops on Brewer’s Trail around Fossil Hill and back through wildflower heaven to Bruce’s parking area, a long descent of roughly five miles that is genuinely fun if you have legs for it. But long downhill on technical trail beats up your quads, and the back third is where badly paced runners fall apart. Trash your legs on the Fairfield climb or skip descending in training and these last miles turn into a careful, painful shuffle.

Practice controlled, runnable descending before race day so you can keep turning your legs over late, when your quads are cooked and you are tired of being on your feet. Being able to actually run the final drop, instead of tiptoeing it, is what separates a good Sinks Canyon day from a long one.

Pacing strategy for a climbing-heavy mountain 50K

With about 5,800 feet of gain stacked into a big early climb and a high traverse near 9,000 feet, Sinks Canyon is about managing effort and altitude, not chasing a flat pace chart. Run the climbs by feel, not by your road splits.

Pace the climbs by grade, not by the watch

Your flat-ground pace means nothing on the Fairfield climb or up the Middle Fork. What matters is grade-adjusted effort: hold a steady output you can sustain up the grade and hike the steep pitches without guilt. The classic Sinks Canyon mistake is charging the opening climb because it feels easy, then paying for it up high and on the long descent home. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing and descending targets so you do not cook the first half.

Build a vert-aware, altitude-honest finish prediction

Do not guess your Sinks Canyon finish off a road 50K time. The 5,800 feet of climbing, the technical footing, and the thin air near 9,000 feet all add real time, especially if you live low. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this course’s climbing gives you a realistic window and lets you work back into the cutoff, so you know how much buffer you actually have at each aid station instead of guessing.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for the duration and the altitude

Most runners are out on the Sinks Canyon 50K for somewhere around 5 to 10 hours, with four aid stations and a high traverse that can kill your appetite. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid just as important as fitness.

Carbs: steady, simple, and trained

For a 5 to 10 hour mountain effort, aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and only push the higher end if your gut is trained for it. Altitude tends to flatten your appetite up high, so keep your intake constant and easy to get down rather than gambling on big late doses you may not want to eat near 9,000 feet. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on long climbs so 70 to 80-plus grams an hour feels routine, not like an experiment on a hard day.

Sodium and fluid: cover the gaps between aid

The 50K aid stations sit at roughly miles 7.5, 12, 20, and 25, so carry enough fluid and calories to comfortably cover the gaps instead of rationing to the next one and arriving empty. Sodium needs climb with heat and sweat, so on a warm day lean toward the higher end, often around 500 to 700 milligrams per liter of fluid, and more if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Weigh yourself before and after a long mountain run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Sinks Canyon altitude 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 Sinks Canyon course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the big climb and the altitude, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Sinks Canyon Trail Races FAQ

How hard is the Sinks Canyon 50K?

It is a legit mountain 50K, not a cruiser. You cover about 31 miles with roughly 5,800 feet of climbing on mostly technical singletrack, and the course tops out near 9,000 feet, so the thin air is part of the challenge if you live low. The day opens with a long, steep climb up to Fairfield Ridge that just keeps going, and the back half traverses high country before a long drop home. The overall cutoff sits around 10 hours 15 minutes, so steady climbing, careful descending, and smart fueling matter way more than flat speed here.

How much climbing is in the Sinks Canyon 50K?

The 50K has about 5,800 feet of total elevation gain over the 31-ish miles, per the official course description. It is front-loaded: a long, steep climber’s trail up to Fairfield Ridge early, a technical drop to Sheep Creek, then a climb through wildflowers toward Timbertop Mountain. After the Fairfield aid station you drop back to the canyon and climb the rocky Middle Fork trail up to the high country around Worthen Meadows and Fry Lake before the long descent to the finish. The 18K is much shorter at about 11.2 miles with around 2,000 feet of gain.

How should I fuel for the Sinks Canyon 50K?

Plan for a long mountain day, somewhere in the 5 to 10 hour range depending on your fitness, with four aid stations on the 50K at roughly miles 7.5, 12, 20, and 25. Most runners do well on about 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning higher only if your gut is trained for it, plus steady sodium that climbs if the day turns warm. Altitude can blunt your appetite up high, so keep intake simple and constant instead of waiting for big late doses. Run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the conditions with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What is the cutoff time for the Sinks Canyon 50K?

The 50K has an overall limit of about 10 hours 15 minutes from the 6:15 AM start. The race has not historically published a long list of hard intermediate cutoffs, but you still want a real plan to reach each aid station with buffer, especially before the high-country section. Cutoffs and aid-station details can change year to year, so confirm the current race-day specifics with the Lander Running Club before you toe the line.

What is the terrain and weather like at Sinks Canyon?

The 50K is roughly 80 percent technical and swooping singletrack, about 19 percent rugged two-track, and a sliver of pavement, with steep climbs to ridge tops, technical canyon descents, river trail along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie, and high plateau traverses through wildflower meadows. Mid-June in the Wind River gateway can swing a lot: chilly at the early high-elevation start, then sunny and warm by midday, and you can still hit lingering snow or mud up high in a big snow year. The strong high-altitude sun and the exposure up on the ridges and meadows are real factors, so plan for cool-to-warm and bring sun protection.

Is the Sinks Canyon 50K a good first 50K?

It can be a great goal race for a well-prepared first-timer, but it is not a gentle place to start. The big early climb, the technical footing, the altitude near 9,000 feet, and the long descent home all reward specific prep: time on steep, rocky singletrack, practice both climbing and descending long grades, and a fueling plan you have actually rehearsed. If you live at low elevation, get there a few days early or accept that the high sections will feel harder than the numbers suggest. Train the climbs and the descents and the roughly 10-plus-hour cutoff gives most committed runners room to finish.

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.