Goat Maps Web map
Green fields and wooded ridges under a blue sky, seen from a hilltop near Saxton in central Pennsylvania
Rosemary DeTrolio / Unsplash

Rothrock by UTMB course maps and aid stations

A 50K and a 25K on the rocky ridges of Rothrock State Forest, starting and finishing at Tussey Mountain outside State College.

May 14 to 16, 2027 Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

Rothrock by UTMB is a UTMB World Series race in Rothrock State Forest, near State College in central Pennsylvania. It was first run in May 2026 and grew out of the Rothrock Trail Challenge, which started in 2009. Both races start and finish at Tussey Mountain Ski & Recreation on the edge of Boalsburg: the 50K on Saturday, the 25K on Sunday.

The map shows the 2026 courses and aid stations. The organizer still links the 2026 GPX files and aid station charts, and says they may change for 2027.

The 2026 runner guide warns of limited cell and satellite coverage, enough to hold up runner tracking by as much as two hours. Download the map before you go: your phone's GPS shows where you are on the course without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Rothrock by UTMB. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Rothrock 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 Rothrock 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

Rothrock courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
50K33 mi (53 km)5,747 ft (1,752 m)Sat, May 15, 8:00 AM12 h
25K16.7 mi (27 km)3,898 ft (1,188 m)Sun, May 16, 8:00 AM7 h

Rothrock 50K

Bear Meadows, the Tussey Ridge Trail and a run of log bridges, out of Tussey Mountain and back.

Distance
33 mi (53 km)
Climbing
5,747 ft (1,752 m)
Start
Sat, May 15, 8:00 AM
Time limit
12 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 winds through Bear Meadows Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark, then follows the Tussey Ridge Trail with views across the surrounding ridges. On the way you pass the Beer Tap hydration station at mile 9.4 and cross several log bridges, the Three Bridges Trail among them. The 2026 announcement also promised a descent of the Tussey Mountain Extension and the rhododendron tunnels of the John Wert Path.

In 2026 the course had five aid stations and three hydration stations, the last of them Laurel Run. The longest stretch without a full aid station was Treaster Kettle (mile 11.4) to Sand Springs (mile 20.1), 8.7 miles with only the Bear Meadows hydration station between. You have to leave Treaster Kettle by 12:30 PM and Shingletown Gap by 5:30 PM, and the finish closes at 8 PM. Miles and cutoffs are the 2026 chart's.

A gravel road through tall evergreens in Cook Forest, Pennsylvania
Donnie Rosie / Unsplash

Rothrock 25K

The old Rothrock Trail Challenge course: Spruce Gap, the Mid-State Trail and Shingletown Cliffs.

Distance
16.7 mi (27 km)
Climbing
3,898 ft (1,188 m)
Start
Sun, May 16, 8:00 AM
Time limit
7 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 25K keeps the route of the Rothrock Trail Challenge. It opens with Spruce Gap, 800 feet of climbing in under a mile, then takes in rocky ridgetop on the Mid-State Trail, rhododendron tunnels, singletrack and stream crossings. Shingletown Cliffs is a jumble of boulders and ledges where you'll want to watch your feet. After the descent of Old Laurel Run Trail you retrace your steps to the finish beside a pond, which the organizer recommends for a post-race dip.

In 2026, when the 25K started at 10 AM, you had to leave Shingletown Gap by 2:15 PM and finish by 5 PM. The 2027 race page lists an 8 AM start with a 7 hour limit, so the finish closes at 3 PM. The 2027 cutoff at Shingletown Gap isn't out yet.

A rocky stream tumbling through a dark Pennsylvania forest
Parker Sturdivant / Unsplash

Registration

Entry is through UTMB's registration site. For 2027 the 50K costs $244.44 and the 25K $128.36, processing fees included, and the organizer warns prices can rise at any time. UTMB Community charity bibs cost $623.91 and $377.15, with a donation built in. You must be 18 for the 50K and 16 for the 25K.

Entries can't be refunded or transferred, but every paid entry can defer once, for any reason, to the next year. In 2026 online registration closed the Sunday before the race; after that you could only sign up in person at Basecamp, for a race that hadn't sold out. There's no race day registration.

Getting to Boalsburg

A clock tower building on the Penn State campus in State College, lit up at dusk
Steve Wrzeszczynski / Unsplash

Tussey Mountain Ski & Recreation, the start, finish and Basecamp, is at 301 Bear Meadows Road on the eastern edge of Boalsburg, a village 4 miles southeast of the center of State College. State College Regional Airport (SCE) has flights on American and United. By Penn State's figures, State College is about 138 miles from Pittsburgh's airport (2 to 3 hours by car) and 195 miles from Philadelphia's (3 to 4 hours). Megabus runs to State College from New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

For somewhere to stay, the organizer points runners to Happy Valley's bed and breakfasts, hotels and campgrounds, and lists lodging partners with special rates for race weekend.

Crewing and following a runner

There are no pacers: UTMB allows them only at events with a 100 mile race. The 2026 charts named no crew or drop bag stations, and the rules bar anyone outside the race from running with you beyond the spectator zones. Plan on seeing your runner at Tussey Mountain. Runners can leave a bag at Basecamp for after the finish, but those bags don't go out to the aid stations.

LiveTrail tracking shows timing splits from some of the aid stations; there's no GPS tracking. The runner guide says to expect delays of up to two hours because of patchy signal, so a missing split usually doesn't mean trouble.

Weather, kit and what lives in the woods

Gnarled branches and glossy green leaves over mossy rocks by a stream at Holtwood, Pennsylvania
Brandon Hengst / Unsplash

May in State College averages highs of 69°F and lows of 50°F, with about 3.6 inches of rain, by NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. The runner guide warns it can still range from hot to snowy on the tops this time of year, and the organizer can make a hot or cold weather kit mandatory a few days out. May is also when the mountain laurel blooms.

The 50K's mandatory kit is a phone, a collapsible cup, 1 liter of water, an 800 kcal food reserve, a whistle and a survival blanket. The 25K needs the phone, cup, whistle and survival blanket, with half a liter of water. Poles are allowed in both. Timber rattlesnakes live in the forest's sunny, rocky spots above 1,800 feet, and the guide also warns about ticks and poison ivy. A few dirt road sections may carry off-road vehicles, so keep an ear free there.

Rothrock 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.

  • Tussey Mountain (start and finish)

    1,309 ft (399 m)

    40.76939, -77.75733

  • North Meadows

    1,883 ft (574 m)

    40.73958, -77.75506

  • Beer Tap (hydration)

    2,028 ft (618 m)

    40.77148, -77.70375

  • Treaster Kettle

    1,427 ft (435 m)

    40.75864, -77.71164

  • Bear Meadows (hydration)

    1,827 ft (557 m)

    40.73182, -77.75355

  • Sand Springs

    1,969 ft (600 m)

    40.74296, -77.78943

  • Pine Swamp

    1,398 ft (426 m)

    40.73059, -77.83528

  • Shingletown Gap

    1,430 ft (436 m)

    40.75249, -77.81780

  • Laurel Run

    1,939 ft (591 m)

    40.75172, -77.77298

Rothrock FAQ

When is Rothrock 2027?

The event runs May 14 to 16, 2027, with the 50K on Saturday the 15th and the 25K on Sunday the 16th. Both 2027 race pages list an 8 AM start at Tussey Mountain Ski & Recreation.

How hard is the Rothrock 50K?

The 2026 aid station chart gives 33.0 miles and 5,747 feet of climbing, with 12 hours to finish. The 2027 race page lists 53.3 km and 1,550 m, so the figures may shift once the 2027 chart is out. The organizer warns your watch may read up to a mile off under the tree cover.

Does Rothrock qualify you for UTMB?

Finishers earn Running Stones for the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc draw: 2 for the 50K and 1 for the 25K. To enter the draw you need at least one stone and a valid UTMB Index. The top three women and men in the 50K also qualify for the OCC, and they pay for that bib.

Can you have a pacer at Rothrock?

No. UTMB only allows pacers at events with a 100 mile race, and the rules bar anyone not entered from running with you outside the spectator zones.

Is there cell service on the Rothrock course?

It's limited. The runner guide warns of poor cell and satellite connectivity, yet a phone that works in the US is mandatory kit at every distance. Download the course map in Goat Maps before you go: your phone's GPS still shows where you are without a signal.

Is Rothrock the same race as the Rothrock Trail Challenge?

It grew out of it. The Trail Challenge started in 2009, and UTMB partnered with its race team for the first Rothrock by UTMB in 2026. The 25K keeps the Trail Challenge route.

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.