Titus Canyon has reopened after being closed for several years due to storm damage from heavy rains! There will be construction in the Red Pass area over the winter, but the West end of Titus Canyon will be open, allowing the run to take place there. The run will start …
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Titus Canyon has reopened after being closed for several years due to storm damage from heavy rains! There will be construction in the Red Pass area over the winter, but the West end of Titus Canyon will be open, allowing the run to take place there.
The run will start and finish at the West end of Titus Canyon where it intersects with Scotty’s Castle Road. The 1/2 marathon will go into the canyon to an aid station (mile 6.5) and return to the finish.
The marathon will continue past the aid station to the mile 8 turnaround, return to the aid station at the entrance to Titus Canyon (mile 13), turn around, go back up the canyon to the mile 18 turnaround, and run back down the canyon to the finish line.
Titus Canyon is one of Death Valley’s most scenic canyons and a true runner’s paradise.
The desert is beautiful this time of year with mild temperatures; lows at night between 30 and 40 degrees and highs during the day from the low-60s to mid-70s. This is our most spectacular trail event of the year and well worth the weekend away. Truly, an experience you won’t forget.
The event is limited to 200 total participants (due to National Park Service rules) and sells out months in advance so don’t wait too long to register!
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Beautiful Titus Canyon
The course is on a single dirt road through Titus Canyon. The race starts at 500 feet above sea level and you run up to 2500 feet and turn around … MORE
The course is on a single dirt road through Titus Canyon. The race starts at 500 feet above sea level and you run up to 2500 feet and turn around and run back down. The scenery is breath taking.
A great location for a race
This is a review for the Death Valley trail marathon. (There is also a street marathon. And if the weather is bad sometimes this race is run on the road. … MORE
This is a review for the Death Valley trail marathon. (There is also a street marathon. And if the weather is bad sometimes this race is run on the road. ) This is a beautiful marathon if you like the desert which I do. We were bussed out to the Nevada starting line and from there it was one road back to California. But between you and the finish line is a row of hills.
The first part of the race is 5 miles of flat dirt road. This begins to climb up to the White Pass where the 30K starts. Then there is a downhill and you start back up the next hill to the Red Pass. You reach that after a 1,800 ft climb (relative to the starting line). From here it is 13 miles and 5,000 ft of downhill.
You run by the ghost town of Leadfield. You run by ancient petroglyphs. And then you get to Titus Canyon. Some years this is closed because of rain, snow or rock slides. It is a narrow winding dirt road down a slot canyon. There are cliffs probably a couple of hundred feet high in places. The rocks were all different colors, the cliffs were dramatic, and everything was just great. When you come out from the canyon you can see the finish line 3 miles away.
Most people worry about the weather but it is run in the winter and the weather for my race was perfect. There are aid stations every 5 miles also. I admit the race shirt and medal could be better. But the awards ceremony is in the one bar in Furnace Creek which was very nice. I would highly recommend this race.