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⏵ Course guide · Washington ultra

Yakima Skyline Rim 50K Course Guide

The Yakima Skyline Rim 50K is a brutal little early-season ultra on the dry side of the Cascades, run as an out-and-back over the rim high above the Yakima River Canyon. It crams something like 9,200 feet of climbing into 31 miles, with steep canyon walls, rough rocky footing, and almost no shade, which is why people keep saying it feels more like a 50 miler. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the vert and the heat. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Yakima Skyline Rim 50K quick facts

Date
Mid-April (Saturday). Next listed edition: April 17, 2027. Confirm the current year on the official site.
Location
Yakima River Canyon, about 15 mi south of Ellensburg and 20 mi north of Yakima, WA
Distances
50K and 25K, run as out-and-back high-desert ridgeline
Elevation gain
50K: about 9,200 ft of gain (and 9,200 ft of loss) · 25K: about 4,700 ft
Start
50K at 8:00 AM · 25K at 9:00 AM
Cutoff
50K: 12 hr overall, with hard intermediate cutoffs · 25K: 8 hr
Mandatory gear
At least 32 oz of water capacity (bottles or pack), checked at bib pickup
Qualifier
No Western States, Hardrock, or UTMB qualifier status listed by the race

These facts come from the official Rainshadow Running race site and UltraSignup. The date moves around mid-April and aggregator listings disagree, so check the current year, start times, and cutoffs in the official race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where Yakima Skyline is won and lost

The 50K is a true out-and-back, roughly 31 miles with about 9,200 feet of gain over the rim above the Yakima River Canyon. You run out over a series of big, steep climbs, turn around, and come back over every one of them again. Single track the whole way, sometimes smooth and just as often really rocky, with the river far below and basically no shade.

The climbs: steep walls, not one long grind

What makes this race hard is the shape of the climbing. Instead of one long mountain to settle into, you get several short, steep canyon walls stacked one after another, and you hit them going out and then again coming home. That math is what makes 31 miles feel like a 50 miler. The grades get genuinely steep, steep enough that hiking is the right call and the fast people are power hiking too, so do not burn matches trying to run everything early.

The whole day is about effort discipline on these walls. Hike the steep pitches efficiently, keep your output even, and you arrive at the turnaround with legs left to climb back over them. Push the early climbs because you feel fresh and the desert is cool, and the return trip over the same walls turns into a death march.

The descents: rocky, fast, and quad-wrecking

Every climb here is matched by a steep descent, and the footing is often rocky and rough, so the downhills are not free speed. They beat up your quads, and on an out-and-back you pay for that twice. The back half is where badly paced runners come apart, shuffling down rock they bombed in the morning because their legs are gone.

Train controlled, runnable descending on rough trail before race day. Being able to keep your legs turning over downhill late in the race, when your quads are cooked and the canyon is baking, is honestly what separates a good day here from a survival march to the finish.

Heat, wind, and exposure between aid

There is almost no shade on this course, and it sits in the Cascade rain shadow on the dry, sunny eastern side, so the canyon can get sneaky dangerous when it gets hot. Mid-April here is a coin flip: it is often one of the hottest days of the year, and it can also turn cold and seriously windy up on the exposed rim. Plan for both ends.

The aid stations are spread out (Roza around mile 8, Buffalo around mile 15.5, Roza again around mile 23, and a minimal station around mile 28), and the gaps are long and sun-baked. The race requires you to carry at least 32 ounces of water and checks at bib pickup, but on a warm year that is a floor, not a plan. Carry enough fluid and calories to get yourself across the gaps and do not count on the next aid being close.

Pacing strategy for a vert-heavy, hot out-and-back

With about 9,200 feet of gain broken into repeated steep walls and a hard 12-hour cutoff, Yakima Skyline is about managing effort and the intermediate gates, not chasing a pace chart. Run the climbs by feel, not by your flat-ground splits.

Pace the climbs by grade, not by the watch

Your flat-ground pace means nothing on these canyon walls. What matters is grade-adjusted effort, so hold a steady output you can sustain up the grade and hike the steep pitches without feeling like you are giving up time. The classic mistake here is running the early climbs too hard because the legs are fresh and the air is cool, then blowing up on the return trip over the same walls. 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 and work back from the cutoffs

Do not guess your Yakima finish off a road 50K time, because 9,200 feet of climbing and rough footing add huge chunks of time. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this much vert gives you a realistic window, and the real value here is working it back into the intermediate cutoffs. The gates at Roza, Buffalo, and the second Roza pass come at the bottom of climbs, so you need to know what buffer you have at each one instead of finding out you are behind with a wall in front of you.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

  • Grade-adjusted pace calculator to turn your flat fitness into honest targets for the steep climbs and the rocky descents.
  • Race-time calculator for a vert-aware finish prediction on this course’s 9,200 feet of climbing, so you can plan against the 12-hour cutoff and the gates.
  • Race-equivalent calculator to turn a recent race result into a Yakima Skyline goal you can actually hold over this much vert.

Fueling strategy for the heat and the duration

Most runners are out on the Yakima Skyline 50K for somewhere around 6 to 11 hours, climbing hard in the sun with long, exposed gaps between aid. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid just as important as fitness.

Carbs: steady and trained

For a 6 to 11 hour 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. The heat and the steep climbing kill your appetite and slow your stomach down, so keep your intake steady and easy to swallow instead of gambling on big late doses. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on hot, hilly long runs so 70 to 90 grams an hour feels normal and not like an experiment you are running on race morning.

Sodium and fluid: plan for the heat, the wind, and the gaps

On a hot year 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. The 32 ounce carry minimum is the floor the race enforces, but the stretches between Roza, Buffalo, and back are long and shadeless, so carry enough to actually get across them rather than rationing to the next station and arriving empty. Wind on the rim can dry you out faster than you notice. 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 the Yakima Canyon heat 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 Yakima Skyline course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for all that canyon vert, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Yakima Skyline Rim 50K FAQ

How hard is the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K?

It is one of the harder 50Ks in the Pacific Northwest, and plenty of people who have run it say it beats them up like a 50 miler. The 50K packs roughly 9,200 feet of climbing into about 31 miles, all of it on an out-and-back over the rim above the Yakima River Canyon, so you are either going steeply up or steeply down almost the whole day with almost no shade. The footing is often rocky and rough, the canyon can be brutally hot, and the overall cutoff is 12 hours with hard intermediate cutoffs you cannot fall behind. Strong, patient climbing and a fueling plan that survives the heat matter far more here than flat-ground speed.

How much climbing is in the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K?

About 9,200 feet of total gain (and the same 9,200 feet of descent, since it is an out-and-back), per the official Rainshadow Running course description. That climbing comes in a handful of big, steep canyon walls rather than one long grind, so you hit several lung-burning climbs out and the same brutal climbs again on the way back. The 25K is roughly half of it at about 4,700 feet of gain. For 31 miles, 9,200 feet is a serious amount of vert, which is why this race punches so far above its distance.

What are the cutoff times for the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K?

The 50K has a 12-hour overall limit from the 8:00 AM start, plus hard intermediate cutoffs along the way: typically the first Roza aid (around mile 8) late morning, Buffalo (around mile 15.5) early afternoon, and the second Roza pass (around mile 23) by late afternoon. Because those gates come at the bottom of the climbs, you cannot bank all your time for the end. The 25K has an 8-hour limit. Confirm the exact intermediate cutoff clock times in the current race-day details before you start, since they can shift year to year.

How should I fuel and hydrate for the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K?

Plan for a long, hot, 6 to 11 hour day with steep climbs and only a few aid stations, so you have to carry your own water and calories across the gaps. The race requires you to carry at least 32 ounces of water capacity, and they check at bib pickup, but on a hot year you will want more than that between stations. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour plus sodium that climbs with the heat. Run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the forecast with the free ultra fueling calculator, and rehearse them on hot climbing days first.

What is the terrain and weather like at Yakima Skyline?

It is a high-desert ridgeline out-and-back, mostly single track that ranges from smooth to really rocky and rough, with steep climbs and descents and almost no shade anywhere on the course. Because it sits on the dry, sunny eastern side of the Cascades in the rain shadow, mid-April here is unpredictable: it can be one of the hottest days of the year, or cold and seriously windy up on the exposed rim. The canyon itself gets sneaky hot when the sun is out. Treat heat, wind, and exposure as part of the race plan, not a surprise.

Is the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K a good first 50K?

It can be a great goal race, but it is a hard place to run your first ultra and not the one I would pick to learn on. The 9,200 feet of climbing, the rough footing, the heat and wind exposure, and the hard intermediate cutoffs all demand specific prep. If your first 50K, train the steep up and down on real trail, practice power hiking, and dial a fueling and hydration plan you have tested in the heat. Do that work and the 12-hour cutoff gives a prepared runner room to finish, but go in respecting the vert.

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.