Sinks Canyon is named for a geological feature in which the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River dives under a granite escarpment and disappears, only to reappear just a … MORE
Sinks Canyon is named for a geological feature in which the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River dives under a granite escarpment and disappears, only to reappear just a short distance down the canyon. The race began just a few miles upstream of this feature and was held mainly on single track trails. The trail started out easily enough, even though the start was above 7,000 feet elevation. It followed the river downstream for about a mile before turning around and gradually ascended along the side of the canyon wall. Once we got to the first aid station, the course continued uphill until we came to a road which ascended along the side of fossil hill, which is one of the highest points in the area. I’m not sure, but I think we had to divert this year to run along the road which was a gradual uphill climb. We then turned onto the Wolf Trail, which was an old jeep trail that went straight uphill. This was the toughest part of the 18K course as it was very steep 1 mile climb to near the top of Fossil Hill where the second aid station was located. I had to stop about every 50 yards to catch my breath and to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. From the aid station near the top of Fossil Hill, we went around the backside of the ridge on single track trails and then followed the top of the ridge down towards the bottom of the canyon. After we crossed over at a pass in the canyon wall, we then followed the trail back downhill to the start. There were wildflowers growing everywhere including Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Wyoming Paintbrush, Lupines, Penstemon, and many others. The only wildlife that I saw were red squirrels, but there are mule deer and even moose that are known to inhabit the canyon. The course was very challenging with close to 2,000 total feet of elevation gain in 11 miles, which is why I didn’t choose the longer 50K course this time which had over 6,000 feet elevation gain. The steep climbs were worth it though for the scenic views and beautiful flora along the trail. Swag was minimal, and included only a technical shirt and a pint glass at the finish line, but there were delicious gourmet wraps at the finish, which made up for the lack of a finisher’s medal.
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Beautiful mountain wildflowers & vistas
Sinks Canyon is named for a geological feature in which the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River dives under a granite escarpment and disappears, only to reappear just a … MORE
Sinks Canyon is named for a geological feature in which the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River dives under a granite escarpment and disappears, only to reappear just a short distance down the canyon. The race began just a few miles upstream of this feature and was held mainly on single track trails. The trail started out easily enough, even though the start was above 7,000 feet elevation. It followed the river downstream for about a mile before turning around and gradually ascended along the side of the canyon wall. Once we got to the first aid station, the course continued uphill until we came to a road which ascended along the side of fossil hill, which is one of the highest points in the area. I’m not sure, but I think we had to divert this year to run along the road which was a gradual uphill climb. We then turned onto the Wolf Trail, which was an old jeep trail that went straight uphill. This was the toughest part of the 18K course as it was very steep 1 mile climb to near the top of Fossil Hill where the second aid station was located. I had to stop about every 50 yards to catch my breath and to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. From the aid station near the top of Fossil Hill, we went around the backside of the ridge on single track trails and then followed the top of the ridge down towards the bottom of the canyon. After we crossed over at a pass in the canyon wall, we then followed the trail back downhill to the start. There were wildflowers growing everywhere including Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Wyoming Paintbrush, Lupines, Penstemon, and many others. The only wildlife that I saw were red squirrels, but there are mule deer and even moose that are known to inhabit the canyon. The course was very challenging with close to 2,000 total feet of elevation gain in 11 miles, which is why I didn’t choose the longer 50K course this time which had over 6,000 feet elevation gain. The steep climbs were worth it though for the scenic views and beautiful flora along the trail. Swag was minimal, and included only a technical shirt and a pint glass at the finish line, but there were delicious gourmet wraps at the finish, which made up for the lack of a finisher’s medal.
Beautiful
Absolutely beautiful course- wildflowers in full bloom, gorgeous mountain vistas, but holy crap that straight uphill section kicked my trash! MORE
Absolutely beautiful course- wildflowers in full bloom, gorgeous mountain vistas, but holy crap that straight uphill section kicked my trash!