Pacific Trails California by UTMB - 50K course and race-day weather
- Rancho San Fernando Rey, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA
- 51.8 km
- 1,547 m D+
- 7 aid stations
Analyzing route...
Pacific Trails 50K course, section by section
The Pacific Trails 50K course runs 51.8 km with 1,547 m of climbing and 1,547 m of descent - 30 m of climbing per kilometre. It tops out at 796 m, and its lowest point on the GPX is 261 m. 31% of the distance climbs at more than 3%, 35% descends at more than 3%, and the remaining 34% is flat or rolling.
The organiser's 9 checkpoints split the course into 8 sections. The table gives each leg's own climb, descent, average grade and high point, measured on the official GPX.
| Section | Km | Distance | D+ | D- | Avg grade | High point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Rancho San Fernando Rey → Red Rock (Hydration Station) | 0.0-5.3 | 5.3 km | +123 m | -23 m | +1.8% | 368 m |
| Red Rock (Hydration Station) → Loma Alta | 5.3-13.0 | 7.7 km | +431 m | -172 m | +3.4% | 796 m |
| Loma Alta → Old Man Mountain | 13.0-20.3 | 7.3 km | +246 m | -384 m | -1.9% | 764 m |
| Old Man Mountain → Santa Cruz (Water Only) | 20.3-26.1 | 5.8 km | +203 m | -208 m | -0.1% | 490 m |
| Santa Cruz (Water Only) → Cow Camp | 26.1-34.3 | 8.2 km | +224 m | -390 m | -2.0% | 675 m |
| Cow Camp → Boot Hill (Water Only) | 34.3-41.2 | 6.9 km | +171 m | -192 m | -0.3% | 454 m |
| Boot Hill (Water Only) → Horse Canyon | 41.2-46.0 | 4.8 km | +79 m | -58 m | +0.4% | 318 m |
| Horse Canyon → Rancho San Fernando Rey (Finish) | 46.0-51.8 | 5.8 km | +118 m | -168 m | -0.9% | 408 m |
The climbs that shape the race
The track holds 7 major climbs and 6 major descents. The biggest climb runs from km 0 to km 10 (through Red Rock (Hydration Station)): +554 m over 10.1 km at an average of 5.3%. The steepest sustained climb averages 12.3% over 1.4 km from km 36, with pitches of 20.8%. 2 of the major climbs start in the last 30% of the course. The longest descent drops 409 m over 7.6 km from km 29 (through Cow Camp), at an average of 5.1%.
Distance, total climb and high point are the organiser's. Each section's climb, descent, grade and high point, the low point and the named climbs are measured on the official GPX with the same method as the interactive profile, so the sections can add up to a slightly different total.