RacesCalifornia Sierra
Canyons 100K
Demand
3 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
2 out of 5
Worth the flight + fee
Foresthill to Auburn, California, United States
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the flight if the mountains match what you want.
The card
Canyons is a 100K on the Western States Trail with a UTMB logo, and both halves of that sentence are the score. The published line runs from China Wall toward downtown Auburn: Eldorado, Deadwood, Swinging Bridge, Devil's Thumb, Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, Cal Street, No Hands, Robie Point. About 12,300 feet of gain, 20 hours, a Western States qualifier. Demand is 3 because that is a hard canyon 100K, especially if April is already hot, and because it is still a 100K on trail you could describe without using the word alpine. Altitude is a 1. Technicality is WST, not Lone Peak. Heat in the canyons is the demand, not a 14er.
Worth is 2. People do fly to Auburn for this trail, and the canyons are real. But you are buying a World Series event to stand on a path that exists all year. Value is a 2. UTMB runs a professional race on a famous course; competence is not independence. Stones on a spring 100K are the access tax, not a reason to raise Worth because the logo is loud.
If you wanted Western States, that is a different card and a different month. If you wanted a California mountain 100, look at Angeles Crest, not this. If you live in the Sierra foothills, this can be a local savage 100K with an expensive sticker. If you are choosing one flight, Miwok is the scenery 100K in this batch, and Canyons is the WST 100K. They are not interchangeable.
Who it is for
Runners who want a long day on the Western States Trail in spring and will tolerate a UTMB 100K to get it.
Who should skip
Anyone who thought this was a mountain 100, or anyone who resents paying in stones to run Cal Street.
Elevation
Tap or hover for miles, clock, and aidft
Night = sunset 7:49pm to sunrise 6:13am at the start (Apr 25), mid splits.
Bottom ticks are aid. Longest gap 11.2 mi.
Finisher pace · 2026
Median finishers (~50th percentile of 540 finishers). Not a predicted you. · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Deadwood 1 11.2 mi
- Aid–aid
- 2.6 h
- Elapsed
- 2.6 h
- Clock
- 7:36 am
Deadwood 2 15.8 mi
- Aid–aid
- 1.4 h
- Elapsed
- 4.0 h
- Clock
- 9:00 am
2.5 h slack
Michigan Bluff 22.6 mi
- Aid–aid
- 1.7 h
- Elapsed
- 5.7 h
- Clock
- 10:42 am
2.0 h slack
Foresthill 28.5 mi
- Aid–aid
- 1.5 h
- Elapsed
- 7.2 h
- Clock
- 12:12 pm
2.3 h slack
Cal 2 36.7 mi
- Aid–aid
- 2.1 h
- Elapsed
- 9.3 h
- Clock
- 2:18 pm
Drivers Flat 46 mi
- Aid–aid
- 2.6 h
- Elapsed
- 11.9 h
- Clock
- 4:54 pm
2.8 h slack
Mammoth Bar 53.9 mi
- Aid–aid
- 2.1 h
- Elapsed
- 14.0 h
- Clock
- 7:00 pm
3.3 h slack
Confluence 57.6 mi
- Aid–aid
- 1.1 h
- Elapsed
- 15.1 h
- Clock
- 8:06 pm
Finish 61.6 mi
- Aid–aid
- 1.0 h
- Elapsed
- 16.1 h
- Clock
- 9:06 pm
3.9 h slack
Local clock derived from published start + finisher splits, not a forecast.
Finishers only (DNFs missing, so the real back of the field is slower).
- Start
- 5,016 ft1,529 m
- Finish
- 1,270 ft387 m
- Net
- −3,746 ft−1,142 m
- Longest climb
- 1,899 ft579 m
Point to point. Net downhill. Total climb is still in Facts.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
Canyons 100K by UTMB 2027 race page · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 100K scored distance
Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
2026
- Starters
- 678
- Finishers
- 540
- DNF
- 20%
- Win
- 8:18:47
- Median
- 15:55:38
2025
- Starters
- 667
- Finishers
- 526
- DNF
- 21%
- Win
- 8:04:36
- Median
- 15:55:27
2024
- Starters
- 586
- Finishers
- 445
- DNF
- 24%
- Win
- 8:44:30
- Median
- 16:39:31
LiveTrail race stats for the scored 100k. Median from finish classement times.
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Climate
Typical April at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 64°F (18°C)
- Typical low
- 41°F (5°C)
- Typical precip
- 4.1 in (103 mm) / April
- Days with rain
- 26% of days
- High point
- 3,609 ft (1,100 m)
BewareRain on race weekend in 2 of the last 3 years.
2015–2024 April 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 high
A 100K on the Western States Trail, 20-hour cutoff. Not a 100 miler, not alpine.
About 12,300 ft of gain. Canyons, not fourteeners.
WST singletrack, swinging bridge, Cal Street. Trail, not scramble.
Late April canyons can already be a heat race. That is the demand.
American River canyons, not Sierra high country. The air is not the problem.
Auburn/Foresthill is easy by mountain-ultra standards. UTMB stones are the tax.
WS trail, competitive front. The sticker is World Series, not Hardrock.
Professional UTMB machine on a famous trail. Competent, commercial.
Circuit pricing to run a trail you could train on if you lived in Auburn.
El Dorado Canyon, No Hands, the river. Beautiful. Also a product.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 3 out of 5 | A 100K on the Western States Trail, 20-hour cutoff. Not a 100 miler, not alpine. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 3 out of 5 | About 12,300 ft of gain. Canyons, not fourteeners. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 3 out of 5 | WST singletrack, swinging bridge, Cal Street. Trail, not scramble. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 4 out of 5 | Late April canyons can already be a heat race. That is the demand. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 1 out of 5 | American River canyons, not Sierra high country. The air is not the problem. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 3 out of 5 | Auburn/Foresthill is easy by mountain-ultra standards. UTMB stones are the tax. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 3 out of 5 | WS trail, competitive front. The sticker is World Series, not Hardrock. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Professional UTMB machine on a famous trail. Competent, commercial. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 2 out of 5 | Circuit pricing to run a trail you could train on if you lived in Auburn. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 4 out of 5 | El Dorado Canyon, No Hands, the river. Beautiful. Also a product. |