Gorge Waterfalls

One of the notable trail race events in the Pacific Northwest, home to some of the most extraordinary trail-running terrain in the United States.  Gorge Waterfalls offers scenic 100K, 50K, and 30K trail running races through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge.  After four years of cancellation and thousands of hours of trail restoration from numerous groups, the event successfully came back in 2022 with a fresh vision and a new start/finish area along the banks of the Columbia River at Marine Park in Cascade Locks.  Gorge is a qualifier event for the famed Western States 100 and a UTMB World Series Race

100K

The 100K course offers a world-class scenic tour through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The course is an out-and-back route, initially traveling downriver from Cascade Locks to the Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls area, back to Cascade Locks, then upriver on the Pacific Crest Trail past Herman Creek to Wyeth Trailhead, then back to Cascade Locks for the finish. Awe-inspiring views and trails await along this challenging course!

The trails feature a variety of surface types, primarily rocky semi-technical singletrack mixed with more smooth dirt singletrack. The course is generally very runnable, with many punchy hill climbs and some very rocky technical sections through the many open talus slopes. There are some extended, intermittent sections of paved pedestrian/bike path connectors and some rural road shoulder sections to connect some trail segments.

The race includes eight aid stations, with three offering drop bag access and five allowing crew access. Pacers are allowed from Wyeth Aid Station (#7) to the finish as well.

50K

The 50K course offers a fantastic west-to-east scenic tour through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The course is primarily a point-to-point route, beginning at Wahkeena Day Use Area, up Wahkeena Falls, over to Multnomah Falls, then upriver, mainly along the Gorge 400 Trail and some sections of the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Scenic Trail all the way to Cascade Locks. From Cascade Locks, the course does an out on the Pacific Crest Trail almost to Herman Creek before turning around, back down to Cascade Locks, through town, and into Marine Park for the finish. Awe-inspiring views and incredible trails await along this challenging but runnable course!

The trails feature a variety of surface types, primarily rocky, somewhat technical singletrack mixed with some smooth dirt singletrack sections. The course is generally very runnable, with many punchy hill climbs and some very rocky technical sections, especially through the many open talus slopes. There are intermittent sections of paved pedestrian/bike path connectors and some rural road shoulder sections to connect some of the main trail segments.  The race includes four aid stations, with one offering drop bag access and two offering crew access.

30K

The 30K course offers a quick, scenic tour through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The course is a point-to-point route, beginning at Wahkeena Day Use Area, traveling immediately over to Multnomah Falls, then mainly along the Gorge 400 Trail and some sections of the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Scenic Trail all the way to Cascade Locks, under the Bridge of the Gods and on through town, into Marine Park along the banks of the Columbia River for the finish. Awe-inspiring views and incredible trails await along this challenging but runnable course!

The trails feature a variety of surface types, primarily rocky, somewhat technical singletrack mixed with some smooth dirt singletrack sections. The course is generally very runnable, with many punchy hill climbs and some very rocky technical sections, primarily through several open talus slopes. There are intermittent sections of paved pedestrian/bike path connectors and some rural road shoulder sections to connect some of the main trail segments.

Waitlists

Each race fills up quickly. However, a waitlist is available once full. As spots become available, the organizer will invite people from the waitlist to register in the order they signed up for the waitlist.

The Western States 100 is the grandaddy of ultra-running events.  It is an epic 100-mile trail run from Olympic Valley to Auburn, CA, in one day on the last weekend of June. It is the world’s oldest 100 trail race, starting in 1974 as one of the ultimate endurance tests. Over the course, runners will climb more than 18,000 feet and descend 23,000 feet.  See the dedicated Western States Endurance Run website for details on the lottery process, training, support, and volunteer opportunities. Participants must qualify for the race within two years and enter the lottery. If you are selected as part of the lottery, you are officially sent details to register within two weeks. If not completed in time, the registration will be available to runners on the waitlist of 50-75 people.

UTMB World Series is the ultimate global trail running series uniting the sport’s biggest stars and amateur runners through a leading international event series in the most stunning locations.  The UTMB World Series gives all trail runners a chance to experience UTMB events worldwide, with 25 events taking place across Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas in 2022. It is the only place runners can begin their quest to UTMB Mont-Blanc, home of the prestigious UTMB World Series Finals.  The UTMB World Series integrates three levels of events:

To qualify to enter the lottery for Finals or Major events, you must collect a “Running Stone” by finishing qualifier events in the 20k, 50k, 100k, or 100M categories.  Only 1 Running Stone acquired in the past two years is mandatory to enter the lottery. Running Stones are cumulative, have no expiration date, and each Running Stone gives you an additional chance to be drawn.  Collecting Running Stones is the only way to access regular runners’ UTMB World Series Finals.  Discover the 25 events that will allow you to collect Running Stones in 2022 to enter the UTMB Mont-Blanc lottery from 2023 onwards here.