The Wy’east Wonder 50K course is possibly the most scenic race you’ll run. There are so many views of Mt. Hood, as you make your way around from the southern side around to the northeastern side of this mountain. You are treated to vistas of eastern Oregon’s desert and the Hood River Valley orchards too.
The start of the race is on a double track road. It’s a bit steep, with ~700′ of gain. You’ll start seeing the views of Mt. Hood early on as you make your way on Forest Road 3550. You’ll turn onto the Gunsight trail and run along Gunsight Ridge, heading north and east. You aren’t required to step off the trail a few feet for the iconic ‘gunsight’ view of Mt. Hood, but you’ll probably want to. You can consider this a personal aid station where you pause to eat the GU you were carrying. This section also includes the fun-to-say Gumjuwac Saddle, which is where you’ll leave the Gunsight trail to race on Forest Road 3550 to the first aid station at High Prairie.
Immediately upon leaving the High Prairie Aid Station, you’ll have a really fun downhill through the woods on the Cooks Meadow trail. You cross dirt road 4410, continuing on the trail until you cross a paved road and take a right onto the Surveyor’s Ridge trail. You’ll be near the old aquaduct, which is used to distribute water to The Dalles Watershed. This old wooden pipe was recently replaced and there are still signs of that construction around. There’s a right turn to the brand new parking lot at the Hub, where the aid station is located.
You’ll leave the aid station the same way you got there, to get back on the trail and climb 400′ up and back down a small butte before continuing on the Surveyor’s Ridge trail. Get ready for many more stunning views of Mt. Hood, as you traverse this ridge through meadows and prairies. You’ll pass Shellrock Mountain and the Badlands Basin and will want to peek at the pinnacles and ridges formed out of the pyroclastic flow from a long-ago Mt. Hood eruption. You will also begin seeing the Hood River valley and all the orchards down below you.
Continuing north on Surveyors Ridge, you’ll run almost 3 miles before reaching the intersection with Oak Ridge trail. Don’t run past this junction! Yeah, yeah, there are more views of the valley and the mountain. You will still be tempted to stop to take a picture. The last section on Oak Ridge trail is a sturdy and rocky downhill, where you’ll drop almost 2,000′ in a bit over 2.5 miles. Your quads will be crying. Then you’ll finish up on double-track to the arch!
View the 50K course interactive map in Caltopo, where you can change the layers and views, zoom in and out and move around the course. The 50K course is the orange track (the purple is for the 50M route).
Neither the Strava route or the Caltopo maps are perfect. Reference the aid station chart below for the correct distances.
Aid stations are stocked with water, GU Hydration electrolyte drink, GU gels, potato chips, Fritos, Fig Newtons, PB&J, pickles, gummy bears, bananas, and M&Ms.
Go Beyond Racing is cupless. You’ll need to bring your own cup for liquid aid at all aid stations.
| Aid Station | Segment Distance |
Cumulative Distance |
Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Prairie | 10.7 | 10.7 | |
| Aquaduct | 7.3 | 18.0 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Gibson Prairie | 7.7 | 25.7 | 6:00 p.m. |
| Finish | 4.9 | 30.6 |
Pacers are not allowed in this race.
Crews can access their runners at the Aquaduct aid station, and only at this aid station. Runners pass through here twice, so there are two opportunities to see and support racers. This aid station is now located in the 44 Trails Hub parking lot. Park smartly in the lot so there is room for others. Runners receiving aid from crew at any other location will be disqualified.
Driving directions to Aquaduct aid station. This is paved until you turn onto the dirt road to get to the parking lot and easily accessible by any car. If you leave the aid station and head north on Forest Road 17 to get back to Red Barn Park that way, be aware that the road has some gravel sections (it is not all paved) and there are potholes to watch out for.
There are cutoffs in the 50K race. Runners must depart the aid stations by the cutoff time to be allowed to continue the race. If you miss the cutoff, you will stay with the volunteers until they close down the aid station and they will transport you to the Red Barn Park.
The cutoff is at 2:00 p.m. at the Aquaduct aid station and 6:00 p.m. at the Gibson Prairie aid station.
There are no drop bags for the 50K.
You can drop the coat that you wear on the shuttle to the race start, at the starting line. We will transport these items to Red Barn Park. Leave any clothes that you want to change into when you finish in your car at Red Barn Park.
