This is Beast of Big Creek. A mountain race to the summit of magnificent Mount Ellinor in the Olympic Mountains; and, brand new, the International Skyrunning Federation's only certified Skyrace course in the United States.
Experience this historic race above Lake Cushman by Hoodsport, Washington on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula.
We're offering two race distances: a 14 miler and a 5 miler.
What you come out here for is our Skyrace. A 14 miler with over 5,200ft of vertical gain and loss to the actual summit of Mount Ellinor. This one's tough and beautiful.
The shorter Forest Loop is a 5 miler with 1,200ft of vert on lush trails along streams through old-growth forest.
Start and finish is at Big Creek Campground. We'll be having a finish line BBQ and invite you to linger and cheer on the finishers.
Both races begins and end at Big Creek Campground.
The summit race is about 14 miles and leads on the Mt Ellinor trail from Big Creek campground to the actual summit of Mt Ellinor with a total elevation gain of over 5,000ft. There you turn around and head back to where you came from. The upper section of this trail is gnarly!
The Forest Race loops along the Big Creek trail with a much more manageable elevation gain of about 1,200ft in 5 miles.
Thanks to the efforts of the Mt. Rose Trail Crew, the track is in wonderful condition. Potential hazards include yellow jackets and horseflies the size of helicopters. Despite the danger, we ask that everybody remain on the trail (as long as it is safe to do so) to avoid any resource damage. The only exception to racing off the trail is for the summit racers on the summit block only. Once the summit block is reached, feel free to scramble it directly or follow the trail to the top if you wish. Once you leave the summit block for the descent, do your best to not stray too far off the trail on the way down.
There may be some mountain goats roaming about the upper slopes of Mt. Ellinor. The Forest Service is asking us to pass on some tips on spending time amongst them:
We are asking you to be back at the finish in ~6hrs. The spirit of our event is that you get to the summit and back as fast as you possibly can; this is an athletic endeavor and a test of fitness rather than a hike. No cut-off is enforced for the short course.
The Rock Candy Mountain Run is a cupless race. Bring a collapsible cup for fluids at the aid stations. In our effort to reduce waste we will have very few trash cans at the event. We aim to recycle an and compost most of our waste. Please be mindful of our environment.
Beast of Big Creek will take place on Auguust 5th, so it could be warm or not, this is the Pacific Northwest after all. You're running almost entirely in the forest, so it won't be insanely hot.
The trails are open to all other forest users on race day. Most everybody will be stoked to see you out there.
Join our Strava group to stay up to date with upcoming opportunities to explore the courses.
Race packets can be picked up on race day starting at 7:00am at Big Creek Campground Loop A+B.
We will be using loops A and B for the majority of our parking. Use the shoulders in those camp loops and display a pass. Day passes are 5 bucks and purchased in the main parking lot if you don’t have a federal lands pass already. If we fill the camp loop roads, we can park in the main lot or out on the main road outside the campground. Don’t block any roads or camp sites. Vehicles need to be able to use all roads we park on.
Camping spots are all filled up and spoke for, please reach out with any questions
Loops A and B are reserved for our event. There are currently 11 vacant sites in those loops. There are gates on Loops A and B with signs that say closed for a recreation event this weekend. You all are that recreation event. Fee is $20 per night. The remainder of Big Creek Campground will be mostly full. Things are busy in Hoodsport so established camping will be scarce.
Address: Big Creek Campground, Hoodsport, WA 98548
The Beast of Big Creek Trail Race is operating under a special use permit from the USDA - Forest Service on the Olympic National Forest. Our experience working with the Forest Service these past 11 years has been nothing but positive. Big ups to these dedicated professionals who truly want everybody to enjoy and protect our public lands.
And a honorable mention to the amazing Mt. Rose Trail crew for keeping up these amazing trail.
