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An aerial view of a dirt road winding over desert hills near Mayer, Arizona, with mountains on the horizon
Avi Waxman / Unsplash

Black Canyon Ultras course maps and aid stations

A point to point 100K and 50K down the Black Canyon Trail, from the desert at Spring Valley toward Phoenix.

February 13 to 14, 2027 Spring Valley to New River, Arizona

Black Canyon is Aravaipa Running's February ultra on the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail, established in 1919 as a livestock driveway between Phoenix and the Bradshaw and Mingus Mountains. Both races start at Mayer High School in Spring Valley. The 100K runs on Saturday to the Emery Henderson Trailhead near New River, and it's a Western States qualifier and Golden Ticket race. The 50K, on Sunday, stops at Deep Canyon Ranch outside Black Canyon City.

Radio volunteers log you at each aid station, and Aravaipa warns that online tracking can lag because the course is remote. Download the course map before you go: your phone's GPS shows where you are on it without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Black Canyon Ultras. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Black Canyon course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Save it in Goat Maps for a recce or race day. GPS shows where you are even without a signal.

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Black Canyon courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
100K62.2 mi (100 km)5,219 ft (1,591 m)Sat, Feb 13, 7:00 AM20 h
50K32.2 mi (52 km)2,004 ft (611 m)Sun, Feb 14, 7:00 AM11 h

Black Canyon 100K

Spring Valley to Emery Henderson Trailhead, with the hard running saved for the second half.

Distance
62.2 mi (100 km)
Climbing
5,219 ft (1,591 m)
Start
Sat, Feb 13, 7:00 AM
Time limit
20 h

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The first three miles are paved and dirt road out of Spring Valley, then you pick up the Black Canyon Trail at Antelope Creek Road and stay on it, single track and jeep road, heading roughly south. The first 20 miles drop fast, and the race page warns that many runners go out too hard and pay for it later. It's a net downhill course, with 5,219 feet of climbing against 7,337 of descent, but most of the climbing, steep descents and rocky ground come late.

Between miles 28 and 45 you cross the Black Canyon again and again. The biggest creek crossing is at mile 34, and if there's water in it a rock-hopping line is marked. Don't miss the short out-and-back to the Black Canyon City Trailhead aid station. After it comes the longest gap, 9 miles to Cottonwood Gulch.

Three waves start at 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00 AM. The cutoffs shown are wave 1's; add 30 minutes for wave 2 and an hour for wave 3. Pacers can join at Deep Canyon Ranch, mile 31.9.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Mayer High School (start)
7.7Antelope Mesa Sat 9:15 AM
12.9Hidden Treasure Mine Sat 10:45 AM
19.4Bumble Bee Ranch Crew, Drop bagSat 12:45 PM
24Gloriana Mine Sat 2:30 PM
31.9Deep Canyon Ranch (50K finish) Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 5:00 PM
37.2Black Canyon City Trailhead Sat 7:00 PM
46.4Cottonwood Gulch Sat 10:00 PM
51.1Table Mesa Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 11:30 PM
58.7Doe Spring Sun 2:00 AM
62.2Emery Henderson Trailhead (100K finish) Crew, Drop bagSun 3:00 AM
An aerial view of bare desert hills and ridges off Antelope Creek Road near Mayer, Arizona, under big clouds
Avi Waxman / Unsplash

Black Canyon 50K

The fast northern part of the course, from Spring Valley down to Deep Canyon Ranch.

Distance
32.2 mi (52 km)
Climbing
2,004 ft (611 m)
Start
Sun, Feb 14, 7:00 AM
Time limit
11 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The 50K starts at the same school track on Sunday morning and follows the 100K's first 32 miles. You climb 2,004 feet and descend 4,005, and the race page calls the first 20 miles "fun, fast, and downhill." Hold something back for after Bumble Bee Ranch. The last leg, 7.9 miles from Gloriana Mine, is the longest without aid.

There are no pacers in the 50K. Crews can meet you at Bumble Bee Ranch and the finish, and your only drop bag goes to Deep Canyon Ranch. Waves leave at 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00 AM; the cutoffs here are wave 1's, 30 minutes later per wave after that.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Mayer High School (start)
7.7Antelope Mesa Sun 9:45 AM
12.9Hidden Treasure Mine Sun 11:15 AM
19.4Bumble Bee Ranch CrewSun 1:15 PM
24Gloriana Mine Sun 3:00 PM
32.2Deep Canyon Ranch (50K finish) Crew, Drop bagSun 6:00 PM
A saguaro with several arms against a deep blue sky in Black Canyon City, Arizona
Danielle / Unsplash

Registration

You enter on UltraSignup, and each distance is capped at 1,200 runners. The 100K costs $365 and the 50K $265 until November 30, then $380 and $280, plus tax and fees. On October 13, 2026, UltraSignup showed 134 places left in the 100K. Registration closes in early February, and there's no race day bib pickup.

You can't get a refund or transfer your entry. Withdraw at least 30 days out and you get 75% back as Aravaipa race credit.

Aravaipa runs three free training runs that cover the whole 100K course: November 29, December 20 and January 24. The trail isn't marked for them, so bring the GPX.

Getting to the start and back

Dry grass and dark boulders on a hillside at Sunset Point, Arizona, with a mountain range behind
R Gray / Unsplash

Mayer High School is 3 miles up SR 69 from I-17 exit 262A, about 50 miles and 42 minutes from where I-17 meets Loop 101 in Phoenix, by the 2025 crew guide. There's no parking at the school. Crews can drop you off and park in the church and pharmacy lots to the northwest, and no shuttle goes back to the school after the race.

100K runners are asked to park in the southwest corner of the Anthem Outlets lot, 6 miles from the finish, and ride the free shuttle back there from Emery Henderson. 50K runners park at Deep Canyon Ranch, which is both the finish and the pickup for the morning shuttle. You can camp there with a permit bought through UltraSignup, or at Bumble Bee Ranch. From lodging off Happy Valley Road and I-17 it's about 15 minutes to the Anthem shuttle and 45 to the start.

Crewing and pacing

Crews can go to three aid stations: Bumble Bee Ranch, Deep Canyon Ranch and Table Mesa. Each has a crew zone between a green flag and a red flag, and past the red one nobody can help you. Stay away from the other aid stations: the 2025 crew guide says a crew stopping at one can get its runner disqualified, and so can parking at Emery Henderson or on New River Road. The finish is reached only by the free shuttle from the Anthem Outlets, which starts at 1:00 PM on Saturday.

Only the 100K has pacers. One can join at Deep Canyon Ranch and swap out at Table Mesa, on foot, with a pacer bib and a signed waiver. Pacers can't carry anything for you.

Weather

Tall grass beside I-17 north of Phoenix, with dark mountains behind
Jeremy Rodriguez / Unsplash

February's normals at Cordes, a few miles south of the start, are a high of 60.7°F and a low of 34.7°F, with 1.9 inches of rain in the month (NOAA, 1991 to 2020). Carefree, east of the finish, averages 67.5°F and 43.8°F. So expect a cold start and a warmer afternoon lower down. The 100K's finish cutoff is 3:00 AM for wave 1, so carry a headlamp if you might be out after dark.

The creek crossings can be dry or running, depending on how much rain fell before the race. Trekking poles are allowed.

Black Canyon aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Mayer High School (start)

    34.34761, -112.15717

  • Antelope Mesa

    34.29345, -112.17423

  • Hidden Treasure Mine

    34.25493, -112.17531

  • Bumble Bee Ranch

    34.19349, -112.15729

  • Gloriana Mine

    34.15110, -112.15329

  • Deep Canyon Ranch (50K finish)

    34.08252, -112.15740

  • Black Canyon City Trailhead

    34.05255, -112.15162

  • Cottonwood Gulch

    34.02216, -112.18359

  • Table Mesa

    33.98672, -112.17089

  • Doe Spring

    33.91879, -112.16775

  • Emery Henderson Trailhead (100K finish)

    33.88183, -112.18010

Black Canyon FAQ

When is Black Canyon 2027?

The 100K is on Saturday, February 13, 2027, and the 50K on Sunday, February 14. Both start in three waves from 7:00 AM at Mayer High School.

Is Black Canyon a Western States qualifier?

The 100K is, if you finish in under 17 hours; the 2027 race counts toward the 2028 Western States lottery. It's also a Golden Ticket race: the top three men and women in the 2027 100K get entries to the 2027 Western States. The 50K doesn't qualify.

How hard is the Black Canyon 100K?

Harder than the profile suggests. It loses more height than it gains, 7,337 feet down against 5,219 up, but the first 20 miles are the easy, fast part. Most of the climbing and the rocky, technical ground come in the final miles, after Black Canyon City.

Can you have a pacer at Black Canyon?

In the 100K only, from Deep Canyon Ranch at mile 31.9 to the finish. One pacer at a time, and you can swap at Table Mesa. The 50K has no pacers.

Where can crews meet runners at Black Canyon?

At Bumble Bee Ranch, Deep Canyon Ranch and Table Mesa, and at the finish by shuttle from the Anthem Outlets. 50K crews have Bumble Bee Ranch and the Deep Canyon finish.

Is there a shuttle back to the start?

No. Shuttles run from the 100K finish to the Anthem Outlets, and none go back to Mayer High School after the race, so plan who's picking up a car left near the start.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.