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A bare ridge with snow patches near Engineer Pass above Lake City, jagged peaks behind under a storm cloud
Ryan Milrad / Unsplash

San Juan Solstice 50 course map and aid stations

One 50 mile loop out of Lake City, over the Continental Divide at 13,000 feet and back down to the town park.

June 19, 2027 Lake City, Colorado

The San Juan Solstice is a 50 mile trail run from Lake City, in the San Juan Mountains of south-central Colorado. It's one counter-clockwise loop with three big climbs, from 8,671 feet in town to 13,334 feet on the Continental Divide, with over 12,000 feet of gain. The money goes to Lake City's volunteer EMTs and a scholarship for local graduates.

The organizer's FAQ calls it more scenic than any other run but Hardrock. It also asks you to study the map and carry one. Some of the 500 or so course flags get knocked down by elk, marmots, jeeps and hikers, and if a storm rolls in on the Divide you're allowed to leave the trail to get off the ridge. Download the course map before you go, so your phone can show you where you are when the flags run out.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run. Check the official site before you enter or race.

San Juan Solstice 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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San Juan Solstice courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
50 Mile50 mi (81 km)12,000 ft (3,658 m)Sat, Jun 19, 5:00 AM16 h

San Juan Solstice 50 Mile

Alpine Gulch, Carson and the Continental Divide, then a last climb over the Vickers ranch.

Distance
50 mi (81 km)
Climbing
12,000 ft (3,658 m)
Start
Sat, Jun 19, 5:00 AM
Time limit
16 h

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You leave the town park at 5 AM and follow the Engineer Pass road for 2.7 miles, where you can top up your water, then turn up Alpine Gulch. It's almost 4,500 feet of climbing, with seven creek crossings that will soak your feet. The Alpine aid station is packed in and has no water or drink, so carry enough to reach Williams Creek at mile 15.7. From Williams you climb the Wager Gulch jeep road past the old Carson ghost town and onto the Divide, then follow the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail toward Coney Peak, near the course's high point. Carson to Divide is 10 miles, most of it high and exposed, and Divide to Slumgullion another 9, mostly downhill.

After Slumgullion, at the highway at mile 40, the last climb goes 1,700 feet up through private ranch land, with some bushwhacking, and you'll need to watch the markers closely. The Waterdog Trail then drops steep and rocky into town. The organizer's GPX is a GPS recording from June 2016, and the map's aid stations are placed on that line.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Town Park (start and finish) Crew
7Alpine Sat 7:30 AM
15.7Williams Creek Crew, Drop bagSat 10:15 AM
21Carson Drop bagSat 12:00 PM
31Divide Sat 3:45 PM
40Slumgullion Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 6:00 PM
46.5Vickers Sat 8:15 PM
50Town Park (start and finish) CrewSat 9:00 PM
Yellow wildflowers and a snowbank on Handies Peak in the San Juan Mountains, with red slopes and a snowy summit behind
Intricate Explorer / Unsplash

Lottery and qualifying

Entry is by lottery on UltraSignup, open January 15 to 31. You must be 18 or older, and on the entry form you list a trail ultra you've finished. Any trail run longer than a marathon counts, and so does the Pikes Peak Marathon. In 2026 the lottery closed with 300 runners and 285 on the waitlist.

You're not charged until you're on the runners list. There are no refunds if you drop, but ticking "Dropped?" when you enter a later lottery gives you extra weight. Check in at the Armory by 7 PM on Friday or your slot goes to a waitlisted runner who's there, and check in again between 4 and 4:55 AM on race morning.

Getting to Lake City

A grassy valley near Lake City with dark conifers and mountains under a grey sky
Chad Madden / Unsplash

Lake City is about 55 miles south of Gunnison on Highway 149, and Gunnison has scheduled flights. From the south it's about 55 miles north of Creede on the same highway. For lodging, the race points you to the Hinsdale County chamber's site, lakecity.com.

Packet pickup, drop bags and the briefings are at the Armory, at 3rd and Bluff Streets. The awards breakfast on Sunday morning in the town park is free for everyone.

Crewing and pacing

A moose standing in a pond in an open high meadow near Lake City, with aspens behind
Howard R Wheeler / Unsplash

Crews and spectators can meet runners at only two aid stations. For Williams Creek (mile 15.7), drive Highway 149 south about 2.5 miles to County Road 30, turn right and go about 6.5 miles to the campground, park off the road and walk to the station at the back. For Slumgullion (mile 40), stay on 149 past County Road 30 for about 3 miles toward Slumgullion Pass, beyond the Lake San Cristobal Overlook and mile marker 67. Crews can help only within 100 yards of an aid station, dogs stay in the car, and the sheriff enforces the speed limit.

Pacers can start at Slumgullion, usually one per runner, checked in with the station. Poles are allowed for runners and pacers. Drop bags go to Williams Creek, Carson and Slumgullion. Aid stations don't hand out ibuprofen or other drugs, so pack your own.

Weather and storms

A bare ridge with snow patches near Engineer Pass above Lake City, jagged peaks behind under a storm cloud
Ryan Milrad / Unsplash

Lake City's June averages are a high of about 74°F and a low of about 40°F, and it's colder up high. The organizer's warnings are about the Divide, roughly miles 23 to 36: thunderstorms with lightning, snowfields to cross, and a snowstorm in 2009 that left runners wearing trash bags. If the weather up there scares you, you may leave the trail and run parallel to it lower down. Carry enough to stay warm and dry if you have to stop.

Everyone carries a GPS tracker registered with MAProgress, their own or a rental. If you drop at Carson or Divide, you'll have to get yourself down: from Divide that's the Camp Trail to County Road 30. When the regular course isn't safe, the race uses an alternate course around Lake City, as it did in 2011.

San Juan Solstice 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.

  • Town Park (start and finish)

    8,671 ft (2,643 m)

    38.02854, -107.31705

  • Alpine

    11,841 ft (3,609 m)

    37.96693, -107.34345

  • Williams Creek

    9,222 ft (2,811 m)

    37.92167, -107.33722

  • Carson

    11,398 ft (3,474 m)

    37.87316, -107.36290

  • Divide

    11,827 ft (3,605 m)

    37.91455, -107.28797

  • Slumgullion

    9,957 ft (3,035 m)

    37.98271, -107.27406

  • Vickers

    10,663 ft (3,250 m)

    38.03049, -107.27105

San Juan Solstice FAQ

When is the San Juan Solstice 50 in 2027?

Saturday, June 19, 2027, starting at 5 AM from the Lake City town park. The race is held near the summer solstice; in 2026 it ran on June 20.

How do you get into the San Juan Solstice?

Through a lottery on UltraSignup, open January 15 to 31. Runners who miss out go on the waitlist and pay only if they get in.

Do you need a qualifier for the San Juan Solstice 50?

Yes: a finished trail ultra longer than a marathon, listed on the entry form. The Pikes Peak Marathon also counts. An entry without one can be delayed or turned down.

What are the cutoffs?

You have 16 hours, until 9 PM. The station cutoffs are Alpine 7:30 AM, Williams Creek 10:15 AM, Carson noon, Divide 3:45 PM, Slumgullion 6 PM and Vickers 8:15 PM, and you have to be out of the station by then. The organizer puts a middle-of-the-pack finish at 12 to 14 hours.

Can you have a pacer at the San Juan Solstice?

Yes, from Slumgullion at mile 40 to the finish. One pacer per runner is the usual limit, and the pacer checks in at Slumgullion.

Where can crews see runners?

Only at Williams Creek (mile 15.7) and Slumgullion (mile 40). Between the two, the organizer suggests following your runner from the start and finish area in town.

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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.