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Autumn forest around a long open meadow in Iron County, Wisconsin, seen from above
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Chequamegon MTB Festival course maps and aid stations

A 40 mile point to point through the Wisconsin Northwoods from Hayward to Cable over the Birkie ski trail, and a 16 mile loop out of Cable.

September 18, 2027 Hayward and Cable, Wisconsin

Chequamegon started in 1983, when 27 riders raced 40 miles off road from Main Street in Hayward to a resort in Cable. The main race still runs between the two towns. The organizer calls it the Drag Race from Hayward to Cable: 40 miles on the Birkie ski trail, forest roads and snowmobile routes, finishing at the Derksen Family Great Hall in Cable. The Short & Fat is a 16 mile loop that starts and finishes at the Great Hall, and the pros race their own version of the 40 as a round of the Life Time Grand Prix.

The Birkie trail is the course of the American Birkebeiner, North America's largest cross-country ski race, which also runs between Cable and Hayward.

The map shows the courses the organizer linked for 2026; the 2027 ones aren't out yet. Download it before you come up to pre-ride: the organizer marks the 40 lightly from Labor Day weekend, and GPS shows where you are on the map without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Life Time Chequamegon MTB Festival. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Chequamegon 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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Chequamegon courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Chequamegon 4041.7 mi (67 km)2,561 ft (781 m)6 h
Short & Fat15.8 mi (25 km)905 ft (276 m)
Pro/Elite Chequamegon 4039.1 mi (63 km)2,497 ft (761 m)

Chequamegon Chequamegon 40

Point to point from downtown Hayward over the Birkie ski trail to the Great Hall in Cable.

Distance
41.7 mi (67 km)
Climbing
2,561 ft (781 m)
Time limit
6 h

Take this course offline

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

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The 40 leaves downtown Hayward behind a roll-out. Hold your place until it ends: passing or weaving through riders during it gets you disqualified without warning. From there the course takes the American Birkebeiner ski trail and other trails to the finish at the Derksen Family Great Hall in Cable. The organizer's course file measures 41.7 miles with 2,561 ft of climbing. Its 2024 athlete guide describes glacial ground with an endless run of 25 and 50 foot climbs: it isn't technical, and what wears you down is the constant change of terrain and surface.

The aid stations are at Gravel Pit (mile 12.2), OO (mile 17.8) and High Point (mile 29.6), which leaves about 12 miles from High Point to the finish. In 2026 the race started at 10 AM, the cutoffs at the three stations were 11:45 AM, 12:33 PM and 2:15 PM, and anyone finishing after 4 PM was listed as a DNF. Miss a cutoff and you can ride the sag vehicle to the finish or sign a waiver and take a shortcut.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Hayward (Chequamegon 40 start)
12.2Gravel Pit Sat 11:45 AM
17.8OO CrewSat 12:33 PM
29.6High Point Sat 2:15 PM
41.7Derksen Family Great Hall, Cable (finish) Sat 4:00 PM
Paper birches turning yellow over red shrubs near Mellen, Wisconsin
Dave Hoefler / Unsplash

Chequamegon Short & Fat

A 16 mile mass-start loop from the Great Hall in Cable.

Distance
15.8 mi (25 km)
Climbing
905 ft (276 m)

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 Short & Fat starts and finishes at the Derksen Family Great Hall and loops through the trails around Cable. The organizer says it has all the challenges of the 40 in a shorter race, and its course file measures 15.8 miles with 905 ft of climbing. There's one aid station, Timber Trail on Spider Lake Road, at mile 6.6. In 2026 it started at 10 AM, the same time as the 40.

A stream winding through marsh grass below spruce and autumn trees near Brule, Wisconsin
Dave Hoefler / Unsplash

Chequamegon Pro/Elite Chequamegon 40

The Life Time Grand Prix race, from the Birkie trail at Wheeler Road to Cable.

Distance
39.1 mi (63 km)
Climbing
2,497 ft (761 m)

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 elite field starts outside Hayward, where the Birkie trail meets Wheeler Road, and spectators aren't allowed at the start. The 2026 tech guide gives 39.1 miles and 2,497 ft of climbing. That year the women started at 12:30 PM and the men at 1 PM, with the finish expected between 2:50 and 3:10 PM. There are no course marshals or aid stations: outside support, mechanical or food, is allowed only at OO, about 15 miles in.

The roads aren't closed. Mosquito Brook, the only paved road crossing, has one patrol, and the ATV trails are busy with ATVs and UTVs. To race in the elite field you apply first. The 2026 purse was $30,000, $5,000 down to $1,000 for the top five women and the top five men.

Registration

The 2027 prices weren't out when this page was checked. In 2026 the Chequamegon 40 cost $125, the Short & Fat $100, and the Little Loggers kids' race was free. You need to be 14 on race day for the 40 and 10 for the Short & Fat. Life Time members with six months of Club-Access membership can register a week before everyone else.

Entries can't be refunded or transferred, but you can defer to the next year's race by paying half the entry fee again. Start gates go by your best Chequamegon result from 2019 to 2025. Without one, you start in the last gate unless you send a race resume for the officials to consider.

Getting to Hayward and Cable

Autumn forest around a lake near Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, seen from above
Dave Hoefler / Unsplash

Hayward is about 107 miles north of Eau Claire, and the organizer says to allow about 45 minutes to drive from Hayward to Cable. Because the 40 is point to point, many riders leave their bike in its start gate at Hayward Primary School on race morning, drive to Cable, park at the finish and ride the race bus back. In 2026 the buses left the Great Hall (42225 Telemark Rd) between 8:30 and 8:50 AM, and a seat cost $10 as an add-on to your entry. There's no bus after the race, so your car needs to be in Cable.

Bib pickup is Friday afternoon at the Great Hall, during the festival, or on race morning: in Hayward for the 40, at the Great Hall for the Short & Fat. A free bag drop at the start takes your things to the finish. For a bed, the organizer points to the Hayward and Cable chambers of commerce and to the CAMBA campground beside the event, whose fees go to the trails. Its 2027 bookings hadn't opened yet.

Spectators and support

In the 40 you can take help only at aid stations and approved spectator areas. The spectator spot is OO, where the course crosses County Highway OO. From Hayward, drive north on Highway 63, turn east onto OO in Seeley and park at the Birkie trail crossing. Leave the same way, west to Seeley.

In the pro race a crew may hand over food or work on a bike only at OO, and support anywhere else gets the rider disqualified.

Weather and bikes

September in Hayward averages a high of 71.6°F and a low of 47.1°F, with 3.97 inches of rain over the month, by NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. The organizer warns that course conditions change from year to year with the rain.

Aero bars are banned: riders who show up with them aren't allowed to start, and anyone who races with them is disqualified. Wear your helmet with the strap buckled. Single speed, fat bike, tandem, non-binary and para riders have their own awards, and pedal-assist e-bikes can ride in an open class with no awards. Roads and trails stay open to cars and ATVs during the race.

Chequamegon 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.

  • Hayward (Chequamegon 40 start)

    1,207 ft (368 m)

    46.01569, -91.48608

  • Wheeler Road (pro start)

    1,217 ft (371 m)

    46.00672, -91.44649

  • Derksen Family Great Hall, Cable (finish)

    1,368 ft (417 m)

    46.19323, -91.25743

  • Gravel Pit

    1,352 ft (412 m)

    46.05868, -91.34316

  • OO

    1,506 ft (459 m)

    46.10967, -91.29571

  • High Point

    1,660 ft (506 m)

    46.15255, -91.29382

  • Timber Trail, Spider Lake Road

    1,480 ft (451 m)

    46.15915, -91.24438

Chequamegon FAQ

When is Chequamegon 2027?

Saturday, September 18, 2027. In 2026 bib pickup and the festival were the day before, at the Great Hall in Cable. The organizer has also set the dates for later years, starting with September 16, 2028.

How long is the Chequamegon 40?

It's called the 40, and the organizer's course file measures 41.7 miles with 2,561 ft of climbing. The pro course, which starts at Wheeler Road, is 39.1 miles.

What are the Chequamegon 40 cutoffs?

In 2026: Gravel Pit at 11:45 AM, OO at 12:33 PM, High Point at 2:15 PM and the finish at 4 PM, six hours after the start. The 2027 times aren't published yet.

Is Chequamegon part of the Life Time Grand Prix?

Yes. The pro/elite race was the fourth round of the 2026 series and is one of the seven Grand Prix races in 2027.

How do you get back to Hayward after the Chequamegon 40?

No race bus runs after the race, so park in Cable before the start and take the morning bus to Hayward, or arrange a ride.

Can you ride an e-bike at Chequamegon?

Yes, in an open category for pedal-assist e-bikes, with no awards.

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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.