Snowy Ridge Classic
100 miles, 36 hours, in a piece of Montana few people see.
Somewhere in the middle of Montana lies an isolated mountain range, rising above the vast prairie and ranchlands. A place sheltered from the rest of the world, where small communities, working cattle ranches, and generations of Western tradition remain woven into the landscape.
The Snowy Ridge Classic is a 100-mile ultramarathon designed to showcase this special landscape and challenge those willing to experience it on foot. This race is a reflection of the land, the people, and the way of life that defines the heart of Montana. Self-reliance is a way of life, hard work is second nature, and every mile is earned.
Remote, rugged, and overlooked.
The Big Snowies are defined by two expansive ridgelines, with many smaller ridges branching from the main spine. Long, sustained climbs carry runners from high prairie through timbered slopes into rugged alpine terrain. The cooler, more temperate northern side of the range contrasts with the drier southern exposures.
Along the way, runners encounter deep mountain canyons, dark timbered forests, flowing creeks, cascading waterfalls, craggy overlooks, vast rocky shale ridge tops, limestone caverns, the Big Snowy Ice Caves, and a picturesque alpine lake. Rugged trails connect these features across long stretches of remarkably quiet backcountry.
From the open prairie. Through timbered drainage bottoms. Clear to the alpine ridgelines. And on and on again.
Everything you need to dial in your 100 miles.
Course & map
Interactive map with every aid station, an elevation profile you can scrub with your thumb, the terrain breakdown, and the segment-by-segment runner guide with downloadable GPX.
Explore the course →Aid stations & cutoffs
10 aid stops, 5 drop bag locations, 4 crew-accessible stations, pacers from mile 51. Departure cutoffs and a split planner to test your goal time against them.
Build your plan →Rules & mandatory gear
Gear you must carry from the start, what you add at Uhlhorn 2 for the night, how crews and pacers work, and the one rule that matters most.
Read the rules →
One expansive loop across both ridgelines.
The race begins and ends on the same private ranch, with access granted exclusively for the Snowy Ridge Classic. From there the course travels primarily through the Helena–Lewis and Clark National Forest, entering two Wilderness Study Areas and trailheads managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The course traverses the full length of both major ridgelines, climbing in and out of the high country through deep mountain drainages. It tops out on Old Baldy at roughly 8,680 feet, drops to the Red Hill Road foothills, returns across the range on the dark timbered lowline trails, and finishes with a lap of Crystal Lake and a detour to the Crystal Cascades waterfall, where you pick up your own buckle and carry it the final miles.
Race day is August 28, 2027.
Entry is limited and all runners must meet the qualifying standard in the race rules. Registration, waitlist, and refund protection are handled through UltraSignup.
This course asks you to arrive prepared.
Aid stations and support are available, but self-reliance and sound judgment come first. There are long stretches of quiet backcountry, faint or nonexistent trail on the alpine traverses, and weather that changes fast.
A race like this doesn't create character. It reveals it.
Nearly a decade ago, while training for ultramarathons, I discovered the Big Snowy Mountains of Central Montana. I knew immediately that I'd stumbled upon something special. Hidden in plain sight, these mountains offered genuine wild country, remarkable solitude, and an old-school Montana character increasingly difficult to find.Steven Graham, Founder & Race DirectorRead the full story
