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⏵ Course guide · Utah ultra

Squaw Peak 50 (Snow Peaks 50) Course Guide

The Squaw Peak 50, now run as the Snow Peaks 50, is one of the oldest and meanest 50-milers in the country, a 50-mile loop in the Wasatch above Provo with about 10,000 feet of climbing over five big passes. It starts and finishes at Vivian Park in South Fork Provo Canyon, and the race itself calls the course the fourth hardest 50-miler in the US. I will walk you through where the day is won and lost first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the vert. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Squaw Peak 50 quick facts

Date
Saturday, June 13, 2026 (30th annual)
Location
Starts and finishes at Vivian Park, South Fork Provo Canyon, Provo, UT
Distance
50 miles (point-to-point loop)
Elevation gain
About 10,000+ ft of climbing, with five major climbs from ~1,100 ft to nearly 3,000 ft
Start
5:00 AM (drop bags in by 4:45 AM)
Cutoff
Hard 3:00 PM cutoff at AS #7 Little Valley (mile 33.5)
Qualifier
No Western States, Hardrock, or UTMB qualifier status listed by the race

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

The course: where Squaw Peak is won and lost

This is a 50-mile mountain loop that climbs out of Provo Canyon, tours the high Wasatch, and drops you back to Vivian Park. About 10,000-plus feet of climbing in five major climbs, with the high point near 9,300 feet just above Windy Pass. Nine aid stations from mile 5.5 to 46.5, and the back third is where it gets real.

The first climb: do not let it fool you

Barely two miles in, the course turns up and gains roughly 2,700 feet over about 5 miles to the Kyhv Peak overlook (the old Squaw Peak overlook). This is the first of the five climbs and it sets the tone for the whole day. The trap is obvious: you are fresh, the sun is barely up, and it feels easy to push. Do not. Hike the steep pitches, keep your heart rate honest, and treat this climb as a warm-up, not a race. The people who hammer this opener are the ones shuffling later.

Once you top out you get rolling high-country running and your first real views of the Wasatch. Settle into a rhythm here and bank patience, not time.

The long middle: the part you have to manage

The middle of the course strings together climbs and descents through Rock Canyon, Horse Mountain, Pole Heaven, and Hobble Creek, then on toward Little Valley at mile 33.5. The pancake breakfast at Hope Campground early on is a nice touch, but do not let the festive aid stations lull you. This stretch is long, it climbs more than people expect, and the hard 3:00 PM cutoff lives right here at Little Valley.

That cutoff is ten hours to cover 33.5 mountain miles, which sounds generous and is not if you blew the first climb or your stomach quits. Get to Little Valley with legs and a working gut, because the toughest climbing is still ahead of you.

Windy Pass and the drop home: the closer

The final and most demanding climb runs up Berryport Canyon to Windy Pass, almost 3,000 feet of gain late in the day, topping out near the 9,300-foot high point. Windy Pass at mile 40.5 is liquid only because it is so remote, so you have to carry the calories to get yourself from Little Valley over the top. This is the climb where races fall apart: tired legs, thin air, exposed and possibly windy, with nothing easy about it.

Crest it and you get the payoff, a long descent through South Fork Provo Canyon and the final few miles back to Vivian Park. It is fast if you saved something, and it is a long, quad-trashing slog if you did not. Train the downhills so this last drop is where you make time, not where you fall to pieces.

Pacing strategy for 10,000 feet of climbing

With five big climbs and a hard cutoff at mile 33.5, Squaw Peak is about managing effort across a long day, not chasing splits. Run the climbs by feel, hike the steep stuff without guilt, and save your legs for the back third.

Pace by grade, not by your flat splits

Your road pace is useless on these climbs. What matters is grade-adjusted effort: a steady output you can hold up the grade, with a power-hike for anything steep. The classic Squaw Peak mistake is running the 2,700-foot opener too hard because it feels easy, then having nothing left for Windy Pass. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing and descending targets so you start the back third with legs instead of regret.

Build a vert-aware finish prediction and back into the cutoff

Do not guess your Squaw Peak finish off a road 50 time. Ten thousand feet of climbing, mountain footing, and the afternoon heat all add real time, and most finishers are out there well past nine hours, often eleven to thirteen. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this course gives you a realistic window and lets you work backward into the 3:00 PM Little Valley cutoff, so you know exactly how much buffer you have when you roll through at mile 33.5 instead of finding out the hard way.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a long mountain day

Most runners are out on the Squaw Peak 50 for roughly nine to thirteen-plus hours, climbing hard early and baking down low late. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid every bit as important as fitness, especially across the long, remote middle and the liquid-only Windy Pass.

Carbs: steady, trained, and carried over Windy Pass

For a nine-plus 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 and heat both blunt your appetite, so keep the intake steady and easy to swallow rather than gambling on big late doses. Most importantly, carry enough calories to get yourself from Little Valley over Windy Pass, because that stop is liquid only and the climb in between is the hardest on the course. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on long mountain runs so it feels normal, not like an experiment.

Sodium and fluid: plan for the heat and the swing

You will start cold and finish hot, so your fluid and salt needs change through the day. In the afternoon heat lean toward the high end on sodium, often around 500 to 700 milligrams per liter of fluid, and more if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Carry enough between aid to cross the longer gaps, especially through the remote middle, instead of rationing to the next stop and arriving empty. Weigh yourself before and after a hot long 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 a long Wasatch 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 Squaw Peak course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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Squaw Peak 50 FAQ

How hard is the Squaw Peak 50 (Snow Peaks 50)?

It is brutally hard, and the race itself bills the course as the fourth hardest 50-miler in the country. You cover 50 miles in the Wasatch above Provo with roughly 10,000-plus feet of climbing stacked into five major climbs, the biggest being almost 3,000 feet, and a high point around 9,300 feet just above Windy Pass. The footing is real mountain terrain and the climbs are long, so this is an effort race, not a pace-chart race. If you respect the vert and fuel well, it is doable; if you treat it like a fast road 50, it will eat you alive.

How much climbing is in the Squaw Peak 50?

The official course has about 10,000-plus feet of total elevation gain and loss over 50 miles, spread across five major climbs ranging from around 1,100 feet to nearly 3,000 feet. The first big one hits at mile 2.1 and gains roughly 2,700 feet over about 5 miles up to the Kyhv Peak overlook. The final and most demanding climb runs up Berryport Canyon to Windy Pass near the high point around 9,300 feet, then you descend South Fork Provo Canyon to the finish at Vivian Park.

What is the cutoff for the Squaw Peak 50?

There is one hard cutoff: 3:00 PM at Aid Station 7, Little Valley, at mile 33.5, which is ten hours into the 5:00 AM start. There is no posted intermittent cutoff before that, and after Little Valley you finish on your own clock, but the back third is the toughest part of the course, so do not crawl into Little Valley with nothing left. Always confirm the current cutoff in the race-day guide, since logistics can change year to year.

Where does the Squaw Peak 50 start and how many aid stations are there?

The race starts and finishes at Vivian Park in South Fork Provo Canyon, just east of Provo, with a 5:00 AM gun. There are nine aid stations from mile 5.5 to mile 46.5, spaced roughly 3 to 7 miles apart, including a famous blueberry pancake breakfast at the Hope Campground stop early on. Windy Pass at mile 40.5 is liquid only because it is remote, so carry the calories you need to get from Little Valley through Windy Pass.

Can I have a crew and drop bags at the Squaw Peak 50?

Yes, but access is limited by the terrain. Crew is allowed at Hobble Creek (mile 26), Little Valley (mile 33.5, high-clearance 4x4 only and not recommended), and Big Springs (mile 46.5). Drop bags are allowed at aid stations 3 through 7 and at 9, with a 4:45 AM deadline at the start and a small two-gallon-freezer-bag size limit at Little Valley. Plan your bags around the long, remote middle of the course.

What is the weather like at the Squaw Peak 50?

Mid-June in the Wasatch can throw a lot at you. You start cold in the dark at Vivian Park, climb into thin mountain air near 9,300 feet where it can be windy and chilly, and then bake in the heat down low later in the day, so dress for a big swing and carry sun protection. In bigger snow years there can still be snow or mud up high on the passes. Check the forecast in the days before and pack layers you can shed and add.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, date, cutoff, 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.