RacesUtah Wasatch
Bear 100
Demand
4 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
4 out of 5
Worth the flight + fee
Logan, Utah to Garden City, Utah, United States
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the flight if the mountains match what you want.
The card
Bear is the Utah 100 that still sounds like a mountain club and still publishes like one. The official sheet: 100 miles through the Bear River Range, 20,321 feet of climb, high point 8,865, start in Logan, finish near Bear Lake. For 2026 the finish is Garden City. Demand is 4 because that is a long point-to-point with real climbing, rocky descents, and a night that often goes below freezing. It is not 5 because the altitude is not Colorado-thin and the technicality is mixed trail, not off-trail San Juan.
Worth is 4. Fall aspen and maple are a reason to fly if you like that range in late September. The race is explicit about not being UTMB-owned while still submitting results for Index hunters. Qualifiers and a lottery are the gate, which is ordinary for a Western 100 and healthier than a stones economy. Organization confidence is medium: bear100.com is specific.
If you want the harder Utah 100, Wasatch is the demand 5. If you want the prettier autumn 100, Bear is the worth conversation. Neither one is Speedgoat.
The official site lists a qualifier and a lottery, which is ordinary Western 100 friction, and it also bothers to say the race is not UTMB-owned. That sentence is why this card exists next to Speedgoat. Logan to Garden City in 2026 is a point-to-point with a lake at the end, not a loop you can forget. Fall color is the scenery product; freezing nights are the climate product. We are not inventing a date or a fee band. bear100.com remains the source. If you cannot get into Wasatch and you still want Utah mountains in September, this is the destination 100. If you wanted 24,000 feet of gain, you wanted Wasatch.
Who it is for
Runners who want a Western mountain 100 in fall colors, with a qualifier culture and no UTMB ownership.
Who should skip
Anyone who needs 13,000-foot drama. Bear is mountains; it is not the San Juans.
Elevation
Tap or hover for miles, clock, and aidft
Bottom ticks are aid. Longest gap 10.0 mi.
- Start
- 4,849 ft1,478 m
- Finish
- 5,980 ft1,823 m
- Net
- +1,131 ft+345 m
- Longest climb
- 3,331 ft1,015 m
Point to point. Net uphill. Total climb is still in Facts.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
- Start
- 06:00
- Pacer from
- 38 mi
- Kit
- Not required · No mandatory gear list.
- Tracker
- Open
Bear 100 2026 information / start time · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 100M scored distance
Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
2025
- Starters
- 335
- Finishers
- 252
- DNF
- 25%
- Win
- 18:34:50
- Median
- 31:15:07
2024
- Starters
- 348
- Finishers
- 251
- DNF
- 28%
- Win
- 19:55:23
- Median
- 29:59:01
2023
- Starters
- 356
- Finishers
- 239
- DNF
- 33%
- Win
- 17:11:51
- Median
- 30:36:28
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Climate
Typical September at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 79°F (26°C)
- Typical low
- 49°F (10°C)
- Typical precip
- 1.3 in (34 mm) / September
- Days with rain
- 18% of days
- High point
- 8,865 ft (2,702 m)
2015–2024 September means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Dimensions
Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.
Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
Point-to-point 100, Logan toward Bear Lake. A mountain 100 with a qualifier and lottery.
Official 20,321 ft of climb. Serious, not Wasatch's 24k.
Mixed: long climbs, some rocky descents, more trail than scramble.
Late September: fall color, freezing nights, warm days. The swing is the weather.
High point 8,865 ft. Real, not the Colorado air problem.
Logan start, 2026 finish in Garden City. Crewable, not a three-country circus.
Respected Western 100, not an icon. The field is mountain-serious.
Public qualifier rules, explicit not-UTMB stance. Medium-high from the public record.
A mountain 100 with a lottery, not a stones tax.
Aspen, maple, Bear River Range. Fall is the scenery product.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 4 out of 5 | Point-to-point 100, Logan toward Bear Lake. A mountain 100 with a qualifier and lottery. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 4 out of 5 | Official 20,321 ft of climb. Serious, not Wasatch's 24k. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 3 out of 5 | Mixed: long climbs, some rocky descents, more trail than scramble. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 4 out of 5 | Late September: fall color, freezing nights, warm days. The swing is the weather. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 3 out of 5 | High point 8,865 ft. Real, not the Colorado air problem. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 3 out of 5 | Logan start, 2026 finish in Garden City. Crewable, not a three-country circus. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 3 out of 5 | Respected Western 100, not an icon. The field is mountain-serious. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Public qualifier rules, explicit not-UTMB stance. Medium-high from the public record. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 4 out of 5 | A mountain 100 with a lottery, not a stones tax. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 4 out of 5 | Aspen, maple, Bear River Range. Fall is the scenery product. |