The Rut Mountain Runs course maps and aid stations

In 2026 the 50K left the base area at 6 AM on Sunday, in waves five minutes apart, so the first runners started in the dark. A headlamp is on the mandatory list, with a waterproof jacket, a space blanket and 32 oz of water. The first 10.6 miles take you past the two Moonlight aid stations. The longest gap comes next, 8 miles and 3,380 ft of climbing from Moonlight #2 over Headwaters ridge to Swiftcurrent, where your drop bag waits.

From there it's 1.2 miles and 1,970 ft up to the summit of Lone Peak, then 2.2 miles and 2,650 ft down to Shedhorn, which has Skratch products only. The organizer calls the Headwaters and Lone Peak sections extremely steep and technical, with exposure and rockfall, and marks the route with orange pin flags. Cutoffs are clock times, the same for every wave, and in 2026 the course closed at 7 PM.

The organizer describes the 28K as the 50K, but harder: it packs in the gnarliest parts of the longer race. In 2026 its waves left the base area from 7:20 to 8:30 AM on Saturday, following blue flags, and climbed 1,650 ft to the Headwaters aid station at mile 3.9. The 5.2 miles on to Swiftcurrent climb another 2,420 ft. From Swiftcurrent you gain 2,000 ft in 1.3 miles to the summit, where the aid station has Skratch products only, then drop 3,450 ft in 4.2 miles to Moosetracks.

Mandatory gear is a waterproof jacket, a space blanket and 16 oz of water. If the weather turns extreme, there's a Plan B course that stays out of the exposed alpine terrain.

The 21K was added in 2023 to fill the gap between the 11K and the 28K. In 2026 it ran on Friday, with waves from 10:00 to 11:10 AM. It climbs about 4,000 ft on Big Sky's singletrack in one big loop along the edge of the alpine, and stays off the exposed ridgelines the 28K and 50K cross. The mandatory gear list doesn't cover it, and pink flags mark the way.

The first stretch is the longest: 4.05 miles to Challenger, which spectators can't reach, though they can get to Swiftcurrent and Andesite. From Andesite it's 3.9 miles and 1,630 ft down to the finish.

The 11K started in waves at 7:30 AM on Sunday in 2026. Marked with purple flags, it follows the 50K in reverse through the forest to a high point just below the top of Andesite Mountain, with Lone Peak and Headwaters Ridge in view. The only aid station is there, at mile 4.7, with water and Skratch drink. After a short stretch of dirt road, the Africa trail drops steeply to Moosetracks and back to the base. The 2026 aid chart gives no cutoffs.

In 2026 the VK started all at once at 9 AM on Friday, from the base area at 7,534 ft. The first half follows the Huntley Hollow and Calamity Jane ski runs to the top of the Swiftcurrent lift, about 1.7 miles in, where there's a one hour cutoff. The second half, up Bonecrusher and Alto Ridge, is extremely steep and exposed, with a 90 minute cutoff at the top of Bonecrusher and 2.5 hours to reach the summit.

Drop a bag at the start and it goes up to the finish: pack a layer and a cup, since the summit aid station is cupless. You ride the Lone Peak Tram and the Explorer Gondola back down. If it's cold or wet, a waterproof jacket and a space blanket become mandatory. There's also a Jorts Division: run it in cutoff jeans and you could win a denim vest.