SoCalUltraTrail at Tejon Ranch Course Guide

The 50K and 100K both take on the Grapevine switchbacks, a sustained climb high above Interstate 5 that gives the race its name. It runs entirely on fire roads across private Tejon Ranch land, so footing is not technical, but the climbing and the exposure to sun and, occasionally, snow at elevation make this a genuine mountain effort rather than a casual outing. No previous training runs are possible since the land is closed to the public outside race day, so you are learning the course in real time.

No official total elevation gain figure is published for any distance. What is confirmed is that both the 50K and 100K take on the Grapevine switchbacks, a well-known, sustained climb above the I-5 corridor, so expect real sustained vertical gain on those two distances in particular. The 25K and 11K explore gentler local foothill terrain.

The 100K has an 18-hour window from its 6 AM start to the midnight course closure, plenty of time for most trained ultrarunners but enough duration to demand a real fueling plan. Aim for roughly 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour for the 50K and 100K, and plan for both daytime heat exposure on the exposed fire roads and colder conditions if you are still out after dark or up near the Grapevine's higher elevations.

The overall course closes at 12:00 AM (midnight). For the 100K, starting at 6:00 AM, that gives you 18 hours to finish. The 50K starts later, at 7:30 AM, giving it a shorter effective window to the same midnight closure. Specific intermediate aid-station cutoffs were not published on the official registration page at the time of this guide, so confirm those directly with SoCalTrail closer to race day.

The course crosses 270,000 acres of private ranch land through canyons, along creeks, over rolling sagebrush plains, and up the Grapevine switchbacks, with views from Mount Pinos in the Angeles National Forest out to the high desert and Central Valley. Late February weather at elevation in the Tehachapi range can include snow, and the race organizers explicitly prepare for it with heated aid stations, so pack for genuine winter mountain conditions, not just a cool morning.

Tejon Ranch is 270,000 acres of private land that is essentially never open to public access, no hiking, no mountain biking, no previewing the route before race day. SoCalUltraTrail is the only way most runners will ever set foot on these trails, which is why it draws serious interest from California's ultra community despite being a newer event on the calendar.