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A river winding through a forested canyon in the Auburn State Recreation Area, seen from a grassy overlook
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

Way Too Cool 50K course maps and aid stations

A 50K and a 10 miler from the Cool Fire Station, on the Western States Trail and the canyon trails of the American River.

March 6, 2027 Cool, California

Way Too Cool has started and finished in Cool, on Highway 49 between Auburn and Placerville, since 1990. It began as the Cool Canyon Crawl, with 130 entrants. NorCalUltras runs it now, with a 10 miler alongside the 50K, and both start together at 8 AM.

The 50K drops into the Auburn State Recreation Area on parts of the Western States Trail, follows the Middle Fork of the American River, and climbs back out over Goat Hill. The organizer puts it at 98 percent trail, mostly single track.

The course description warns that the turn onto the Secret Trail "can easily be missed", and the runner guide tells you to learn the course even though it's marked. Download the map before race day. GPS shows where you are on it without a signal.

The aid stations and cutoffs here are from the 2026 runner guide. The race hasn't published a 2027 chart yet.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Way Too Cool 50K & 10 Mile Endurance Runs. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Way Too Cool 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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Way Too Cool courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
50K31.4 mi (51 km)4,799 ft (1,463 m)Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM8 h 30 min
10 Mile10.8 mi (17 km)1,161 ft (354 m)Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM3 h 30 min

Way Too Cool 50K

A loop south of Cool, then down to the Middle Fork of the American River and back over Goat Hill.

Distance
31.4 mi (51 km)
Climbing
4,799 ft (1,463 m)
Start
Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM
Time limit
8 h 30 min

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You start down St. Florian Court, a paved road, for 1.4 miles, then run a loop of the Olmstead Loop and the Secret Trail, crossing Knickerbocker Creek twice, and come back past the fire station at mile 8. From there the Western States Trail takes you to the first Highway 49 crossing and onto the Quarry Road Trail for the Quarry aid station at mile 13.

Quarry to Auburn Lake Trails is the longest stretch between aid stations, 7.5 miles past Maine Bar and up the American Canyon Trail to the Wendell T. Robie Trail. The organizer recommends filling two bottles or a pack for it. After ALT the Robie Trail runs to a footbridge at the Brown's Bar Trail and the climb to the Goat Hill aid station at mile 26. You cross Highway 49 again by the Teichert Quarry at mile 30 and retrace the mile 8 trail to the finish. The organizer says there's no two-way traffic on the course.

A shallow river and a wide gravel bar under green, wooded hills in the Auburn State Recreation Area
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

Way Too Cool 10 Mile

The first 8 miles of the 50K, then out and back on single track to Highway 49.

Distance
10.8 mi (17 km)
Climbing
1,161 ft (354 m)
Start
Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM
Time limit
3 h 30 min

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 10 mile starts with the 50K at 8 AM and runs its first 8 miles, through the Knickerbocker Creek crossings and back to the fire station. After mile 8 it's single track to the Highway 49 Crossing aid station at mile 9.4, the turnaround, then back the same way to finish by 11:30 AM. The 10:15 AM cutoff at mile 8 is the same for both races.

Registration

Entry is first come, first served on Race Roster, for the first 500 runners in the 50K and 150 in the 10 mile. It closes on March 1, 2027 at 11 PM, or sooner if it fills.

The base price for the 50K went up to $200 in October and goes to $210 in January. The 10 mile is $90, then $105. Processing fees come on top. There are no refunds for any reason, including cancellation, and you can't transfer an entry to someone else or to another year.

Getting to Cool

No Hands Bridge, a concrete arch bridge, over a rocky river below wooded hills near Auburn
Curtis Hystad / Unsplash

Cool is about 40 miles from Sacramento. From I-80 in Auburn, take exit 119C for Highway 49 south, follow it down into the canyon, cross the North Fork of the American River, and keep going to Cool. The fire station is on St. Florian Court, on your right.

Runners park at the fire station, and every car has to be in by 7:15 AM, when the entrance closes. Dropping a runner off on Highway 49 or parking in Cool's business district can get them disqualified. Entry includes a California State Parks parking pass for race day.

Pick up your bib on Friday, March 5, from noon to 7 PM at Fleet Feet Folsom, or on race morning from 6:00 to 7:45 AM at the fire station. The race's lodging page lists hotels in Auburn and Roseville.

Crewing and spectating

Crews can meet runners only at the Cool Fire Station: the start, mile 8 and the finish. Crewing anywhere else gets your runner disqualified. No pacers, poles or dogs are allowed on the course.

Spectators who arrive before 7:15 AM park on St. Florian Drive with the runners and can't leave between 7:15 and 10:00, because the course crosses the road at mile 8. Later arrivals park at the Holiday Market, at Highway 49 and Highway 193, and walk over.

Weather and what to carry

A shallow river and a wide gravel bar under green, wooded hills in the Auburn State Recreation Area
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

March in nearby Auburn averages highs around 63°F and lows around 42°F, with 6.12 inches of rain in the month, by NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. Knickerbocker Creek gets footbridges on race day, and if the water is high, race staff rope and watch the crossings. The runner guide still says your feet may get wet.

Carry at least one bottle, and two is better. The aid stations have no cups, so bring your own. They stock Neversecond gels and Skratch drink, and ALT and Goat Hill also serve hot vegetable broth.

Way Too Cool 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.

  • Cool Fire Station (start, mile 8 and finish)

    1,512 ft (461 m)

    38.88848, -121.01891

  • Quarry

    38.91693, -121.00575

  • Auburn Lake Trails (ALT)

    1,565 ft (477 m)

    38.92733, -120.94928

  • Goat Hill

    1,591 ft (485 m)

    38.91467, -120.98370

  • Highway 49 Crossing

    1,299 ft (396 m)

    38.90290, -121.01487

Way Too Cool FAQ

When is Way Too Cool 2027?

Saturday, March 6, 2027. The 50K and the 10 mile both start at 8 AM at the Cool Fire Station, with no early starts.

Is there a lottery for Way Too Cool?

Not for 2027. Registration is open to the first 500 runners in the 50K and the first 150 in the 10 mile, and closes on March 1, 2027 at 11 PM or when it fills.

What are the Way Too Cool cutoffs?

In the 2026 runner guide, both races had to leave the fire station at mile 8 by 10:15 AM. The 50K had to leave Auburn Lake Trails, at mile 20.5, by 1:30 PM and finish by 4:30 PM, and the 10 mile had to finish by 11:30 AM. Cutoffs are for leaving an aid station, and they're strictly enforced.

Can you have a pacer at Way Too Cool?

No. Pacers aren't allowed in the 50K or the 10 mile, and neither are trekking poles.

Where can crews see runners at Way Too Cool?

Only at the Cool Fire Station, which is the start, the mile 8 aid station and the finish. A runner whose crew meets them anywhere else is disqualified.

How much climbing is the Way Too Cool 50K?

The course page gives 4,799 feet of gain and 4,209 feet of loss, between a low of 570 feet and a high of 1,620 feet. The 2026 aid station chart puts the distance at 31.4 miles.

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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.