Cloudland Canyon is a great first 50 miler, 50K, trail half marathon or first trail run. This is one of THE most scenic trail races in the country. The 50 Miler and 50k take place on Saturday. The half marathon and 5 mile is on Sunday. The goal of these …
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Cloudland Canyon is a great first 50 miler, 50K, trail half marathon or first trail run. This is one of THE most scenic trail races in the country. The 50 Miler and 50k take place on Saturday. The half marathon and 5 mile is on Sunday.
The goal of these races is not to be hard but to be scenic, fun and safe. The 50K consists of a single 14 loop and then a lollipop. The half marathon is a lollipop route, and the 50 miler is the 50K course, but with another lollipop off that course. The 5 mile will be a beautiful route thats a lollipop with roughly 600ft of gain – this is NOT a flat run!
The 50K and 50 miler consist of mainly rolling hills with a few 200-500 ft climbs, and of course the plunge down to the bottom of the canyon and back! Expect 7500 ft gain on the 50 mile, 4500 ft gain on 50K and 2300 ft gain on the half. You will pass massive waterfalls, jaw dropping open views of valleys, and a sunrise as far as you can see into the horizon!
The half marathon is tough with all the beauty and hardship of the 50K / 50 mile course in one. It’s totally worth it and features a plunge down to the bottom of the canyon and back up. BRING YOUR CAMERAS!
Cloudland Canyon State Park is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, this is one of the most scenic parks in the state, offering rugged geology and exceptional hiking. The park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and elevation differs from 800 to 1,980 feet. Overnight guests can choose from quirky yurts, cottages near the canyon edge, a modern campground or spacious, walk-in tent sites. Backpackers can enjoy camping in a hemlock grove on the 2-mile Backcountry Loop.
The most spectacular view into the canyon is an easy walk from the picnic area; however, hikers can also explore a rim trail or journey to the canyon floor by a series of staircases. Two waterfalls cascade over layers of sandstone and shale into pools below, with their flow depending on recent rains. This Waterfalls Trail is part of the popular Canyon Climbers Club. Backpackers, mountain bikers and equestrians can explore several miles on the Cloudland Connector Trail.
This race contributes money to Cloudland Canyon State Park/Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park.
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Super pretty if it doesn't rain.
The scenery was nice in the few moments the clouds cleared. But it mostly rained during this run. I'd do it again, I think, but I'd probably want to do … MORE
The scenery was nice in the few moments the clouds cleared. But it mostly rained during this run. I’d do it again, I think, but I’d probably want to do some stair climbing. I think I counted the stairs and there were over 500 actual stair steps, in one go. And that’s not counting other small stairs or hills. Not an easy course. But it is a pretty course and I did enjoy this run.
I drove in for this race so I don’t know how accommodations were locally. I think they had bunks for runners for the weekend, but no idea how that went. They did have bathrooms near the start line, and the post-race food was great. Lots to drink, lots to eat.
I would do this race again. It’s worth a few hours drive to get to it, but maybe not more than that unless you must have a race that weekend.
Scenic waterfalls and stairs from hell!
Well organized race. All trails were marked, aid stations stocked and fun, and the scenery was amazing. First half of the 50k is the most difficult part. Race starts at … MORE
Well organized race. All trails were marked, aid stations stocked and fun, and the scenery was amazing. First half of the 50k is the most difficult part. Race starts at 6:30 and you run 3-4 miles on the roads in the dark. You hit the top of a beautiful overlook right as the sun comes up, photographer taking pics too. Hit the trails with 3K plus of elevation and stairs down into the canyon. Waterfalls to see and then you climb back up those stairs to the top. After you survive that, the rest of the race begins!..
Beautiful course!
Not much to say here that is not already talked about on the race website. The race director does a great job having information available for his events readily available … MORE
Not much to say here that is not already talked about on the race website. The race director does a great job having information available for his events readily available for people to see. The course was well marked, and the scenery on this course was great. Most of the run is on single track trail. A few miles at the beginning are on a road leading to the trail head, and then there are stairs (lots of them!) taking you in and out of the canyon. The aid stations were well stocked, and the volunteers were helpful and encouraging.