Mammoth Trail Fest course maps and aid stations

The 50K is a single loop with no out-and-backs, marked with purple flags. It leaves the Village on bike path and forest singletrack to Twin Lakes, then goes over Panorama Dome to Duck Pass Trailhead. From there it climbs the Emerald Lake Trail, picks up the Lake George Trail at the John Muir Wilderness boundary, and runs along Lake Mamie to Horseshoe Lake. The organizer counts seven alpine lakes on the course, which averages over 9,100 feet.

The big climb comes after Horseshoe Lake: the Dragon's Back Trail to the 11,053 foot summit of Mammoth Mountain, past the Hole in the Wall lava tube and through the Hour Glass, a short pitch of rock and pumice that the guide calls the most technical climb on the course. From the summit you drop down a steep access road to the Mammoth Mountain Trail, with the Minarets in view, and on to Main Lodge. Main Lodge to Canyon Lodge is 7 miles, the longest gap between aid stations, and the guide warns it can take over two hours. One last climb of about 300 feet leads to 2.5 miles of downhill on the Downtown Trail.

The miles and cutoffs here are the 2026 table's, for the last of three waves. Each wave gets the full 12 hours.

The 26K is a single loop marked with orange flags. It reaches Twin Lakes after 3.5 miles, then takes the Dragon's Back Trail, 2.75 miles and 2,400 feet, to the summit of Mammoth Mountain. That climb, with the Hour Glass section of rock and pumice, is the hardest part of the race.

Off the top it's a steep road down to the Gravy Train Trail and the McCoy aid station, then singletrack. Bullet DH, after McCoy, is the most technical descent on the course. From the Garage aid station it's a smooth 2.25 miles down to the finish.

The stops and cutoffs are from the 2026 table, for the third wave; every wave gets 7 hours. The Garage is stocked like the other aid stations but has no medical staff.

Tenkay is the evening race, and you need a headlamp. It climbs the Uptown Trail for 2.4 miles to the Garage aid station, loops about a mile and comes back through the Garage, then descends the Downtown Trail for 2.5 miles to the finish party in the Village.

The trail is marked with green flags and reflective tape, and in 2026 there were disco lights in the trees. Waves started at 6:45 and 6:50 PM, and each had 2 hours 15 minutes. There are no drop bags.

The hill climb starts at Twin Lakes Bridge and gains 2,400 feet in 3 miles to the summit sign on Mammoth Mountain. There are no aid stations, so carry what you need. In 2026 medical staff stood at the Hour Glass, the rocky section above Twin Lakes. A drop bag truck at the start takes your bag up to the summit.

Race morning, a bus takes you from Village Plaza to Tamarack Lodge, a walk of about 250 meters from the start. After the summit party, the gondola down to Main Lodge is free, and a bus runs back to the Village. The 2026 cutoff was 2 hours 30 minutes.