COURSE CONDITION UPDATES, It changes daily! even by the hour

 Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run Course Director: Keri McMeans

 Drum roll... race week is upon us in just a few short days! Are you ready for the countdown? We are 8 days out from the 100-mile race and 9 days from the 52, 32, and 18-mile races. The course is in prime condition, and the extended weather forecast predicts temps in the 70s and low 80s. These temps will melt any remaining snow and provide dry conditions for most of the course. 100-mile race participants can expect mud below Bear Camp on the outbound to Sally's Footbridge and the inbound return. Additionally, 100 milers should plan for wet conditions from Spring Marsh outbound as you make your way to Jaws. You will experience standing water, some snow drifts, and swampy/muddy areas in these 8.5 miles. I urge you to plan for cold and wet conditions during the 18-mile section in the Little Horn. We see most people drop because they didn't plan for how cold it is on the outbound trip to Jaws - use Sally's Footbridge for your first round of warm gear and plan for more warm and dry gear in the Jaws drop bag. 52 mile race participants, you will have these same conditions from Jaws to Elk Camp and Sally's Footbridge to Bear Camp. 32 mile race participants, expect some snow, standing water, and mud in the first 5 miles of the course. 18 mile participants, I expect you will have great course conditions this year. Please understand, the wet conditions are generally average and expected in any given year. That said, the rest of the course is in excellent shape as of today. As mentioned, the overall course conditions are dry. These conditions will make for a fast course, provided the weather forecast doesn't change drastically. The course marking crew begins marking the course on Monday, June 10. Stay tuned for more updates after each course marking outing. We will host a trail information station at packet pick-up. Stop by with your crew to ask more questions! As a reminder, course conditions can change in a split second. My best recommendation today is that you plan and pack for all conditions. I look forward to seeing you soon! Safe travels!
  

 Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run Course Director: Keri McMeans

The trail crew scouted 26 miles of the course, covering the sections from the Dry Fork to Riley Point to Cow Camp, and Dry Fork to Tongue River Canyon. We experienced the beauty of the trail, with dry conditions for the first 3/4 - 1 mile, yet encountered snow fields on the remainder of the two-track road leading to Riley Point. The trail descending from Riley Point to Cow Camp is snow and ice-packed, adding to the scenic challenge. Although we made it through the first 8 miles of the Riley Point Loop, I don't recommend going this route for another 2 weeks. Cow Camp to Dry Fork was mainly dry, with some muddy conditions/no snow. Dry Fork - Upper Sheep has minimal snow in a few sections of the two-track road, which will melt soon. The single-track trail to the Upper Sheep Bridge is dry. Upper Sheep Bridge to Horse Creek Ridge presents snow early in the ascent, ending with dry conditions at the top of Horse Creek Ridge. Fence Spring is running, and the trail from Horse Creek to Tongue River Canyon is dry (with some mud in the Quakies). If you are training in the area, Dry Fork to Tongue River Canyon will provide a solid 12 miles of excellent training. The snow depth at Bald Mountain (nearest weather station to Jaws aid station) was 48 inches as of Wednesday, 5/22/2024. Our mountain weather conditions fluctuate weekly, yet the spring run-off is in full swing! The trail crew is excited and gearing up to begin trail work, with only three weekends left before we mark the course. The Bighorn Mountains are calling you with their breathtaking views! We can't wait to welcome you to The Bighorn Trail Run soon! 
  

Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run Course Director: Keri McMeans

 The trail crew scouted 26 miles of the course, covering the sections from the Dry Fork to Riley Point to Cow Camp and Dry Fork to Tongue River Canyon. We experienced the beauty of the trail, with dry conditions for the first 3/4 - 1 mile, yet encountered snow fields on the remainder of the two-track road leading to Riley Point. The trail descending from Riley Point to Cow Camp is snow and ice-packed, adding to the scenic challenge. Although we made it through the first 8 miles of the Riley Point Loop, I don't recommend going this route for another 2 weeks. Cow Camp to Dry Fork was mainly dry, with some muddy conditions/no snow. Dry Fork - Upper Sheep has minimal snow in a few sections of the two-track road, which will melt soon. The single-track trail to the Upper Sheep Bridge is dry. Upper Sheep Bridge to Horse Creek Ridge presents snow early in the ascent, ending with dry conditions at the top of Horse Creek Ridge. Fence Spring is running, and the trail from Horse Creek to Tongue River Canyon is dry (with some mud in the Quakies). If you are training in the area, Dry Fork to Tongue River Canyon will provide a solid 12 miles of excellent training. The snow depth at Bald Mountain (nearest weather station to Jaws aid station) was 48 inches as of Wednesday, 5/22/2024. Our mountain weather conditions fluctuate weekly, yet the spring run-off is in full swing! The trail crew is excited and gearing up to begin trail work, with only three weekends left before we mark the course. The Bighorn Mountains are calling you with their breathtaking views! We can't wait to welcome you to The Bighorn Trail Run soon! 
 

Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run Course Director: Keri McMeans

The  trail crew took this past weekend off due to the most recent cold front  and snowfall in the mountains. Have no fear, we will be back at it this  weekend! Spring in the Rockies is a blessing as the late snowfall  provides much-needed moisture for our mountains. We saw  30 inches of  new snow last week taking the snow depth at Bald Mountain to 70 inches.  As of today, 5/15/24, we are back down to 53 inches, which I expect to  melt quickly with warmer weather headed our way. That all said, the  grass in the foothills is emerald green and the Lupine and Balsam Root  wildflowers are gearing up to illuminate the trail with a spectacular  show of blue and yellow! With just over 4 weeks of training left, I know  the excitement is building! We can't wait to welcome you to The Bighorn  Trail Run soon! Keep up the great work!

Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run 

Course Director: Keri McMeans 

The trail crew scouted the 16.5-mile section from the Dry Fork aid station to Sally's Footbridge on Saturday, May 4th. As of last Saturday, the road into the Dry Fork is accessible for those training on the course. In this section, the 100 and 52-mile race participants will traverse 6 miles of rugged two-track and 10.5 miles of spectacular single-track. The 32-mile participants will take in the 6 miles of the rugged two-track after traversing Riley Point and dropping into the Cow Camp aid station. I am incredibly pleased with the conditions between Dry Fork and Sally's Footbridge. I expect it to be in prime running condition! The snow depth at Bald Mountain (nearest weather station to Jaws aid station) was 40 inches on Monday, 5/6/2024. We got 16 inches of new snow with the recent cold front, taking the snow depth to 56 inches, which I expect to melt quickly with warmer weather headed our way. Stay tuned to weekly trail reports as we anticipate conditions to change drastically over the next few weeks. With just over 5 weeks of training left, you are beginning to bust out those last long runs and back-to-backs. Keep it up. You're almost ready! Happy Trails! Keri

Trail Report Bighorn Trail Run 

Course Director: Keri McMeans

This last trail-scouting adventure ramped up excitement for the Bighorn Trail Run team! The trail crew scouted the Little Horn Canyon from Sally's Footbridge to Wagon Box Bridge on Saturday, April 27. That's a spectacular 12 miles of trail from Footbridge to just past Spring Marsh aid station, leaving only about 6 miles left to scout in that section of the 52 and 100-mile races. An outing like this is almost unheard of early spring. The 12 miles of trail are mostly clear and shaping up nicely, with a few patches of snow that I suspect melted over the past few days. The remaining 6 miles are inaccessible at this time. We inspected the lower Wagon Box Bridge (used by the Spring Marsh aid station) and the upper Wagon Box Bridge (used by race participants). Both bridges survived the winter and are in good shape as we head into the spring runoff. The snow depth at Bald Mountain is 42 inches today, 5/1/2024, compared to 59 inches last year. Again, and for those training on the course, the trail from Wagon Box Bridge to Jaws is inaccessible at this time. Please join me in thanking Paul McDowell and Wendell Robison for getting a start on clearing the trail this past weekend! Stay tuned to weekly trail reports as we anticipate conditions to change drastically over the next few weeks. With 6 weeks to go, I wish you the best of luck as you hone in on race-specific training! Work on those trail legs...climb, climb, climb! Keep up the good work! Enjoy the photos taken.