Western States 100 course

Source: The distance and the ascent are from the race organiser (wser.org). We calculate the descent from the organiser ascent and the elevation difference between the start and the finish. The elevation profile and the gradient data come from a 10 m digital elevation model (NED (US)). All elevations are to the nearest 10 m (50 ft).

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About the course

The Western States 100 is a c.100 mi161 km point-to-point ultramarathon through California's Sierra Nevada. It starts in Olympic Valley near Lake Tahoe, at c.6,200 ft1,890 m, and finishes on the track at Placer High School in Auburn.

The route follows the historic Western States Trail. It climbs to the course high point at Emigrant Pass (c.8,700 ft2,650 m), crosses the Granite Chief Wilderness, and descends through a series of deep canyons to Michigan Bluff and Foresthill. From there it follows the American River, crossing it at Rucky Chucky, before the final miles into Auburn.

The course is point-to-point with a net descent, climbing 18,100 ft5,520 m and descending roughly 23,050 ft7,030 m along the way. It is almost entirely on trail, much of it on single-track through remote, rugged mountain and canyon terrain.

The Western States 100 course climbs around 18,100 ft5,520 m over its c.100 mi161 km distance, with a net descent of almost 5,000 ft1,520 m from Olympic Valley to Auburn. That's more climbing than the Leadville 100 but only just over half that of the Hardrock 100. Its gain per mile sits between that of the Cocodona 250 and the Montane Lakeland 100, and much of the descent comes in the steep drops into the course's deep canyons.

Ascent & descent analysis

In late June, Western States spans a huge temperature range. The high country near the start can be close to freezing in the early morning, while the deep canyons and lower sections towards Auburn typically reach around 32°C90°F and have exceeded 43°C110°F on record.

Rain is unlikely. In the canyons the heat is intensified by steep, sheltered terrain with little breeze, while lingering snow can cover parts of the high country after heavy winters.

The weather data has been obtained using the Open-Meteo historical weather API.

Conditions at the start line

The pictograms below show the conditions at the start of the course on the race date in each of the last five years.

Temperature range on course

Temperatures experienced on course are impacted by elevation. The graph below shows the temperature range for the five most recent events at different parts of the course.

Daylight hours

The graph below shows the daylight hours on the day of the 2026 edition (27 June), in local time.

The Western States 100 starts in Olympic Valley at roughly 6,200 ft1,890 m and climbs to its high point of around 8,700 ft2,650 m at Emigrant Pass within the first few miles. It then descends to finish in Auburn at around 1,300 ft400 m. Altitude is mainly a factor in the opening high-country section, and most of the race is spent at progressively lower elevations.