Yellowstone Gateway 30K

🏃‍♂️Race Overview

Yellowstone Gateway 30K runners will know why “Yellowstone is more Valuable than Gold”!

General Description: This race, renowned for its unique beauty, spans just over 18 miles. It starts at the 2024 MICHELIN Guide awarded Sage Lodge trails, with a 10-mile climb that steadily increases in steepness, followed by an exhilarating 8-mile downhill that gradually eases in gradient. The entire course is off-road, with no pavement in sight. Instead, participants traverse a mix of trails, gravel roads, USFS dirt roads, and scree-covered jeep paths. The upper elevations in Emigrant Gulch are an out and back, and the rest of the race is point to point.

• Elevation: The course reaches a high point 2,609 feet above the starting elevation.
• Views: Stunning views of Emigrant Peak and the Snowy Block Mountains of the Western Beartooths.
• Historical Sites: The course passes through the historic mining settlement of Old Chico.
• Finish Line: The race concludes at the legendary and renowned Chico Hot Springs Resort.

📍Event Details

At the start at the Sage Lodge, you will run double track trails over rolling foothills past the historic Chico Cemetery, then past the historic Yellowstone City gold settlement (c. 1864-1866) where some of the first gold seekers came to Montana to find fortune. Continue to Old Chico and turn right up Emigrant Gulch and begin climbing up an increasingly steep gorge cut by a dirt/scree jeep road between steep canyon walls and past abandoned mines and where a recent industrial gold mine was halted when local residents and the federal government decided that “Yellowstone is more valuable than gold.”

• Water Crossings: You will get wet crossing Emigrant Creek and the East Fork of Emigrant Creek.
• Turnaround Point: At the aid station near the closed St. Julian Mine (c. 1906).
• Trail: Join the Chico Hot Springs Ranch 635 trails to the finish at Chico Hot Springs.
• Elevation: Varies from 4,966 feet at the start to 5,250 feet at the finish.

🎟️Packet Pick-Up

• Early Packet Pickup: Time and location to be announced, usually in Livingston at the Park County Environmental Council office.
• Race Day Pickup: Sunday (9/21) from 7:30 AM-8:45 AM at the Sage Lodge Mud Room (55 Sage Lodge Drive, Pray, MT).

🚰Aid Stations

There are three aid stations on the 30K course stocked with water, Tailwind Nutrition Fuel drink, gels, and various standard trail food. Pack your own nutrition if you have specific needs. This is a cup-less race so you must bring your own bottle or bladder for water/Tailwind.

1. Old Chico Aid Station: 3.8 miles from the start.
2. Emigrant Gulch Aid Station: 7.0 miles.
3. St. Julian turnaround: 10 miles. Cutoff time 12:45 pm
4. Emigrant Gulch Aid Station: 13.0 miles Cutoff time 1:45 pm
5. Old Chico Aid Station: 16.0 miles Cutoff time 2:35 pm
6. Chico Finish! 18.2 miles.

⚠️Safety Information

Running downhill on steep rocky slopes can be hazardous and you can roll an ankle or take a fall. Emigrant Creek is ankle to shin deep at the crossing, but while the current won’t wash you away, the rocks are slick underfoot.

Weather: Check the Point forecast for Emigrant Gulch for the latest forecasts.

🌱Sustainability Commitment

Yellowstone Gateway 30K is a race that takes you through some of the most beautiful country in the greater Yellowstone area. As Directors and racers, we choose to tread lightly and steward the landscape responsibly.

• Cupless: You must bring your own cup/water bottle/hydration pack.
• Reducing Waste: At the post-race picnic, Happy Trash Can will help us to compost and reduce our footprint.

🗺️Course Markings

The course will be well marked with flags, cones, and paint. Race volunteers will be at critical junctions to ensure that no one makes a wrong turn.

👟Shoes, Terrain, and Equipment

The upper part of the course is very rocky and uneven in places. Trail shoes are the best choice. Water depth at both crossings is often ankle to calf deep.

🧳Parking and Shuttle

Due to limited parking at the start at Sage Lodge, we encourage you to take the free and short shuttle from Chico to Sage Lodge before the race. Shuttle availability includes:

• Shuttle Times: 7:10 am, 7:30 am, 7:50 am, 8:10 am, and 8:30 am.

🏆Prizes

Everyone will receive a Yellowstone Gateway 30K hat with the Lynx logo. Awards for top three male and female finishers, 1st male and female masters, and first place male and female age group winners. There will also be door prizes at the finish line.

📣Support and Spectating

Spectators are encouraged to cheer for family and friends at various points along the course, but do not attempt to drive vehicles up the Gulch.

📞Opting Out

If you pick up a packet but don’t run, please inform a volunteer or the race director. If you drop out of the race, you must inform a volunteer.

🍽️Post-Race Festivities

Afterward, runners can relax at Chico Hot Spring’s lawn with a beer and lunch provided by Chico Hot Springs. All finishers and volunteers get a free swim pass!

📜History

This area has a long and fascinating history, including the battles to protect it from industrial mining. The Yellowstone Gateway 30K is a celebration of a community’s determination to protect this stunning landscape.

🔗More Information

More information and updates will be emailed to registered participants prior to race day and also posted on the Yellowstone Gateway 30K Facebook page or contact the Race Director at bl2deyoung@gmail.com.

Event Date: 2025-09-21
Location: 163 Chico Road, Pray, MT
Register here: Yellowstone Gateway 30K Registration