Goat Maps Web map
Teddy Bear Cove off Chuckanut Drive, a calm green bay ringed by forest, with a leaning tree on a rock ledge
Lorin Lindell / Unsplash

Chuckanut 50K course map and aid stations

Flat miles on the Interurban Trail at both ends, and about 5,000 feet of climbing on Chuckanut Mountain in between.

March 20, 2027 Bellingham, Washington

The Chuckanut 50K starts and finishes in Fairhaven Park, in Bellingham's Fairhaven neighborhood, and has been run since 1993. In a June 2026 press release on bellingham.org, the local tourism site, race director Krissy Moehl calls it the oldest trail ultra in Washington. The 2027 race is on Saturday, March 20.

The course is a lollipop. You run the first 10K south on the Interurban Trail, a crushed rock path, then climb into the Chuckanut Mountains for a 30K loop of trails and gravel roads, then come back the same 10K to the park. Most of the climbing is in that middle loop.

The race director suggests following the GPX route, above all on the Ridge Trail loop. Put the course on your phone before race day. GPS shows where you are on the map with or without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Chuckanut 50K. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Chuckanut course map

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

Download the Chuckanut map to your phone

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

Open in web map

Chuckanut courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
50K31.1 mi (50 km)5,000 ft (1,524 m)Sat, Mar 20, 8:00 AM8 h

Chuckanut 50K

Out on the Interurban Trail, a loop over Chuckanut Mountain, and back the way you came.

Distance
31.1 mi (50 km)
Climbing
5,000 ft (1,524 m)
Start
Sat, Mar 20, 8:00 AM
Time limit
8 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

From Aid 1 at the Lost Lake parking lot you climb past Fragrance Lake to Cleator Road, then grind 2.8 miles up the road to Aid 3, gaining about 1,180 feet. The Ridge Trail is next, where you watch your footing and, on a clear day, look out at Mount Baker. You drop to the Lost Lake trails and Aid 4, then go straight up Chinscraper, where you'll share the trail with mountain bikers coming down. The 7.3 miles from Aid 3 to Aid 4 are the longest gap on the course.

The descent from the top of Cleator Road to Aid 5 loses about 1,600 feet in 2.8 miles, and the race director warns that runners who bomb it pay for it on the last 10K. That return on the Interurban is the same trail you ran out on, but it feels much harder. Near the end you turn left on 18th Street and finish along the 100 Acre Woods.

A grassy track between wooden fence posts and tall trees at Chuckanut, in low sun
Pavł Polø / Unsplash

Registration

Low sun through tall trees on a dirt trail in a forest at Bellingham
anakat / Unsplash

Entry for 2027 is on Pacific MultiSports, and it goes fast: for 2026, 300 people signed up in the first 30 minutes after it opened on December 5. The race opened 700 spots for a permit of 600 runners, with a waitlist once those filled.

To get your bib you have to do 4 hours of trail work or give an equal donation, and the race checks it through EnduranceHQ. The Washington Trails Association ran two work parties in the Chuckanuts for 2026 runners. For 2026 you could cancel until February 21 and get your entry back, less $25. The race didn't allow transfers or roll-overs to the next year.

Getting to Fairhaven Park

A rail line on the rocky shore at Bellingham, under steep forested hills
Pavł Polø / Unsplash

Bellingham is 90 miles north of Seattle and 52 miles from Vancouver, British Columbia. Fairhaven Park is at 107 North Chuckanut Drive.

The park has no race parking. In 2026, runners, crews and volunteers parked in Lot C at Western Washington University, and shuttles looped to the park from 6 to 7:45 AM. One 40-seat shuttle kept running between the two all day, so crews should leave time to get back for the finish. The Fairhaven Village Inn, a partner hotel, is close enough to walk to the start.

Crewing

In 2026 crews could meet runners at the start and finish and at two aid stations: Aid 1 at the Lost Lake parking lot, and Aid 5, where the Fragrance Lake Trail meets the Interurban. Both are off Chuckanut Drive. The other three aid stations are up on the mountain, and crews weren't allowed at them.

Weather and required gear

A dark rain cloud over Bellingham Bay, seen from Chuckanut Drive
Lorin Lindell / Unsplash

March in Bellingham averages a high of about 53°F and a low of about 38°F, with 3.4 inches of rain spread over about 18 wet days. The ridge and the Lost Lake trails are usually colder and windier than the park, and in 2025 several runners left the race with hypothermia.

For 2026 the race added a rule: if it's 47°F or colder in Fairhaven Park at the start, you carry a waterproof jacket or poncho, gloves and a beanie from the start through Aid 5. The race checks packs at random at the start, and again at Aid 3. You can leave the gear with your crew at Aid 5, but not with the aid station volunteers.

Chuckanut 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.

  • Fairhaven Park (start and finish)

    131 ft (40 m)

    48.71410, -122.49747

  • Aid 1: Lost Lake parking lot

    243 ft (74 m)

    48.64830, -122.48721

  • Aid 2: Two Dollar Trailhead

    768 ft (234 m)

    48.67527, -122.48328

  • Aid 3: Ridge Trail, top of Cleator Road

    1,768 ft (539 m)

    48.65510, -122.46285

  • Aid 4: bottom of Chinscraper

    1,122 ft (342 m)

    48.65617, -122.47907

  • Aid 5: Fragrance Lake Trail at the Interurban

    315 ft (96 m)

    48.65335, -122.48943

Chuckanut FAQ

When is the Chuckanut 50K 2027?

Saturday, March 20, 2027, from Fairhaven Park. The main start is at 8 AM, the early start at 7 AM, and the course closes at 4 PM. The race is usually on the third Saturday of March.

What is the time limit at Chuckanut?

8 hours, from the 8 AM start to the course closing at 4 PM. If you take the 7 AM start you can't win an age group award, which needs an 8 AM start and a finish before 4 PM.

How hard is the Chuckanut 50K?

The organizer calls it a mountain ultra with technical terrain and variable weather. The first and last 10K are relatively flat. The middle 30K holds about 5,000 feet of climbing, including the climbs up Cleator Road and Chinscraper.

How many aid stations does Chuckanut have?

Five: Lost Lake parking lot at mile 6.8, Two Dollar Trailhead at 10.2, the top of Cleator Road at 13, the bottom of Chinscraper at 20.3, and the Fragrance Lake Trail at the Interurban at 25. The finish is 6.1 miles after that.

Where do you park for the Chuckanut 50K?

Not at Fairhaven Park. In 2026 runners, crews and volunteers parked in Lot C at Western Washington University and took the race's shuttle to the start and back.

Try Goat Maps free.

Topo and satellite maps, slope angle shading, public land, track recording, waypoints and GPX import are free. Membership adds offline maps and the route planner for $29.99 a year.

Or open the web map

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.