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⏵ Course guide · Oregon ultra

Tillamook Burn Trail Run Course Guide

The Tillamook Burn is Daybreak Racing’s oldest event and a Northwest springtime classic, run on soft, lush coast-range singletrack in the Tillamook State Forest. It is a point-to-point 50 mile, a 55K lollipop loop from Reehers Camp, and a Double if you want both, and the vert sneaks up on you because it never comes from one big climb. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the rolling terrain and the wet weather. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Tillamook Burn quick facts

Date
50M: Saturday, May 16, 2026 · 55K: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Location
Tillamook State Forest, near Timber, Oregon (Reehers Camp)
Distances
50M (about 50.6 mi), 55K (about 35 mi), plus a 50M/55K Double
Elevation gain
50M: about 9,500 ft · 55K: about 6,900 ft
Start
50M: 6:00 AM at Smith Homestead · 55K: 7:00 AM at Reehers Camp
Cutoff
50M: 14 hr (8:00 PM) with intermediate cutoffs · 55K: 10 hr (5:00 PM) with intermediate cutoffs
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 dates, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where the Tillamook Burn is won and lost

The 50 mile is an epic point-to-point, about 50.6 miles from Smith Homestead to Reehers Camp, roughly 40 miles of singletrack and 10 miles of forest road with about 9,500 feet of climbing. The 55K is a heavily forested lollipop loop out of Reehers Camp, about 35 miles and 6,900 feet of gain. Both share the same character: rolling, twisty, green, and relentless.

No single monster climb, just relentless rolling

The thing to understand about this place is that the vert does not come from one big climb you can see on the map and brace for. It comes from a long string of forested ups and downs that just keep coming, all day. On the 50 mile you start climbing toward Kings Mountain early, then trade one drainage for the next through Elk Creek, Idiot Creek, Storey Burn, and University Falls before the run-in to Reehers Camp. None of it is brutally steep, but it adds up, and the runners who blow up here are the ones who treated the early rolling miles like they were free.

Be patient with the climbs and hike the steep, rooty pitches efficiently instead of forcing a run. If you keep your effort even across the first half you reach the back end with legs left, and if you hammer the early descents because the trail is soft and fast you will feel it in your quads with twenty miles still to go.

Soft, twisty, often wet singletrack

This is real Oregon Coast Range rainforest. The trail is soft dirt, twisty, and laced with roots and rocks, with stream crossings and a few waterfalls (University Falls is a genuine highlight). On a dry year it is fast and tacky and a joy to run. On a wet year it gets slick and muddy, and the footing turns into its own event, so quick feet and paying attention matter as much as fitness does.

Pick shoes with real grip and drainage, and practice running technical, rooty trail before race day. Being comfortable moving over slick roots and soft tread, especially late when you are tired, is honestly what separates people here.

The forest roads and the late miles

The 50 mile mixes in about 10 miles of forest road, which sounds like a gift but cuts both ways. Road lets you open up and make time if your legs are good, and it punishes you with a steady runnable grind if they are not. The back half, past Storey Burn and through Bell Camp toward Reehers Camp, is where a badly paced day comes apart, so save something for it.

The 55K loop sends you out to Bell Camp, up through Storey Burn, out to the University Falls turnaround, and back, so you cover the prettiest singletrack twice. Knowing the loop comes back through Storey Burn lets you plan your aid-station stops and your fueling around it instead of guessing.

Pacing strategy for a rolling, vert-heavy ultra

With about 9,500 feet of gain on the 50 mile (6,900 on the 55K) and none of it in one tidy climb, the Tillamook Burn is about managing effort across endless rolling terrain, not hitting a pace chart. Run the hills by feel, not by your flat-ground splits.

Pace by grade and effort, not by the watch

Your flat-ground pace means almost nothing out here. What matters is grade-adjusted effort, so hold a steady output you can sustain up the rolling grade and hike the steep, rooty pitches without feeling like you are losing the race. The classic mistake on a course like this is letting the soft, fast descents and the easy early miles trick you into spending too much, then paying it all back over the last twenty. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing and descending targets, and you will not cook the first half.

Build a vert-aware finish prediction against the cutoffs

Do not guess your Tillamook Burn finish off a road 50 mile or road 50K time. The 9,500 feet of climbing, the soft and technical footing, and possible mud all add real time. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this course’s climbing gives you a realistic window and lets you work back into the intermediate cutoffs (like Storey Burn and Bell Camp), so you actually know how much buffer you have at each checkpoint instead of finding out the hard way.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a long, cool, damp day

The 50 mile is an all-day effort and the 55K is a big half-day one, both on cool, often wet coast-range trail. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid just as important as fitness, and the cool weather makes it easy to forget all three.

Carbs: steady and trained

For an effort 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 trap on a cool, damp day is that you do not feel like eating because you are not obviously overheating, so you quietly fall behind and bonk in the back half. Keep your intake steady and on a schedule rather than waiting until you feel low. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on long runs so 80-plus grams an hour feels normal, not like an experiment you are running on race day.

Sodium and fluid: do not let the cool weather fool you

Cool, wet weather hides your sweat rate, so it is easy to under-drink at the Tillamook Burn and show up at the next aid station already behind. You are still sweating under a jacket on a climb, so keep drinking on a plan and match sodium to your own sweat (more if you are a heavy or salty sweater). Carry enough fluid and calories to cover the gaps between aid instead of rationing to the next one. Weigh yourself before and after a long run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number rather than a generic chart.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Tillamook Burn 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 Tillamook Burn course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for all that rolling vert, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Tillamook Burn Trail Run FAQ

How hard is the Tillamook Burn Trail Run?

It is a genuinely tough coast-range ultra, not a cruiser. The 50 mile covers roughly 50.6 miles with about 9,500 feet of climbing on soft, twisty rainforest singletrack and a chunk of forest road, and the 55K packs about 6,900 feet into 35 miles. There is no single monster climb, just relentless rolling and a string of long ups and downs that grind you down over the day. Add in footing that is often wet, rooty, and slick, plus intermediate cutoffs you have to keep ahead of, and steady climbing with smart fueling matters way more than raw flat speed.

How much climbing is in the Tillamook Burn 50 mile and 55K?

The 50 mile has about 9,500 feet of total ascent (and roughly 8,900 feet of descent, since it is point-to-point) over about 50.6 miles, per the official course description. The 55K is a lollipop loop from Reehers Camp with about 6,900 feet of gain and the same amount of descent across roughly 35 miles. It is not one big climb, it is a steady accumulation of forested ups and downs, so the vert sneaks up on you if you go out too hard.

How should I fuel for the Tillamook Burn Trail Run?

Treat the 50 mile as a long all-day effort and the 55K as a big half-day one, both on cool, often damp coast-range trail. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning higher if your gut is trained for it, with sodium dialed to your own sweat rate. Cool, wet weather hides how much you are sweating, so it is easy to under-drink and under-fuel without noticing, then bonk late. Carry enough to cover the gaps between aid and run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the forecast with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for the Tillamook Burn Trail Run?

The 50 mile has an overall limit of 14 hours, finishing by 8:00 PM, with intermediate cutoffs along the way (for example Storey Burn at mile 26.6 and Bell Camp at mile 47.2) so you cannot save all your buffer for the end. The 55K has a 10 hour limit, finishing by 5:00 PM, with its own intermediate cutoffs at the Storey Burn and University Falls aid stations. Confirm the exact current cutoffs and aid-station mileages in the race-day details before you start, since they can shift year to year.

What is the terrain and weather like at the Tillamook Burn?

This is classic Oregon Coast Range rainforest: soft dirt singletrack, plenty of roots and rocks, stream crossings, and a few waterfalls including University Falls. The 50 mile mixes about 40 miles of singletrack with around 10 miles of forest road, while the 55K stays mostly on trail. Mid-May in the Tillamook State Forest tends to be cool and green, with highs often around 60 degrees and a real chance of rain, so you can get a damp, muddy, slick day. Footing and drainage of your shoes matter as much as fitness on a wet year.

Is the Tillamook Burn 55K a good first ultra?

The 55K can be a strong goal race for a prepared first-time ultrarunner, but it is not a soft introduction. The 6,900 feet of climbing, the technical wet footing, and the intermediate cutoffs all ask for specific prep: time on rooty singletrack, practice on long rolling climbs and descents, and a fueling plan you have rehearsed. If you train the hills and the gut and respect the cutoffs, the 10 hour limit gives most committed runners room to finish. If you want a longer step up, the 50 mile or the 50M/55K Double is right there.

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.