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Ultras · US · MN

Superior Fall Trail Race

Superior 50 Mile · 51.7M
Scheduled
2026 lottery closed January 15, 2026; start lists / bib assignments published (998 total registrants across all three distances as of this record). Race has not yet occurred (upcoming Sept 11-12, 2026).
Race dateSeptember 12, 2026
Start5:15am
Whenin 21 days
First held1991
Free, and always will be. NavRun makes money from race-day planning for runners who want it, never from this. Ultras change constantly, sometimes the morning of. Always confirm with the race director and the official website before you rely on anything here.
Distance 51.7M
Climb 7,950 ft
Descent 7,950 ft
High point not checked yet
Time limit 16:45:00
Aid stations 9
Started not checked yet
Finished not checked yet
Finish rate not checked yet
The course

Where it goes point to point · 9 aid stations · rust marks a stop your crew can reach

A 51.3-mile point-to-point trail ultramarathon on the Superior Hiking Trail, starting at the Finland Community Center (mile 49 of the 100 Mile course) and finishing at Caribou Highlands Lodge in Lutsen -- the same finish and final ~51 miles of trail as the 100 Mile. About 95% technical singletrack.

95% technical singletrack. 'This is not a fast 50 miler' -- the course guide explicitly warns slower finishers to plan for darkness: lights required to leave Oberg (mile 44.2) after 5:00 PM. Shares its entire route and aid stations with the back half of the 100 Mile course, starting at the 100 Mile's Finland aid station (100mi mile 49).

The race

What this one is

The Superior Fall Trail Race hosts three point-to-point distances (100 Mile, 50 Mile, and the Moose Mountain Marathon) on the Superior Hiking Trail along Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior, all finishing at Caribou Highlands Lodge on Lutsen Mountain. The course traverses the Sawtooth Mountain Range, is about 95-98% technical singletrack, and crosses whitewater rivers and streams through boreal forest with views of Lake Superior.

The Superior 100 Mile Trail Race was founded in 1991, making it the 9th (per the race's own count, which some sources give as 10th) oldest 100-mile trail race in the United States, after Western States ('74), Old Dominion ('79), Wasatch ('80), Leadville ('83), Angeles Crest ('86), Vermont ('89), Mohican ('90) and Arkansas Traveller ('91, same year as Superior). The Superior 50 was added shortly after the 100, and the Moose Mountain Marathon was added in the early 2000s. A companion Superior Spring Trail Race was added in 2003. The race adopted a lottery registration system starting with the 2016 race after conventional registration filled in hours and repeatedly crashed the registration server.

Getting in

Getting in Entry, lottery and what the race asks of you before race day.

Lottery
Yes
Lottery opens
Jan. 1, 2026 superiorfalltrailrace.com
Lottery draw
not checked yet
Field cap
235
Registration
UltraSignup superiorfalltrailrace.com
Qualifying
Must have finished at least one 50KM-or-longer trail race at any time in the past (verifiable online results required), or any previous year's Superior 50KM, Moose Mountain Marathon, Superior 50 Mile or Superior 100 Mile. Completing 50KM+ in a timed/loop event of 8 hours or less also qualifies. superiorfalltrailrace.com
Minimum age
not checked yet
Transfers
No superiorfalltrailrace.com
Deferrals
No superiorfalltrailrace.com
Crew, pacers and drop bags

The rules that shape your day Anything marked "not checked yet" is a gap in what we hold, never a no from the race.

Crew allowed
Yes superiorfalltrailrace.com
Vehicles per runner
not checked yet
Pacers
No superiorfalltrailrace.com
Muling
not checked yet
Drop bags
Yes superiorfalltrailrace.com
Cupless
Yes superiorfalltrailrace.com
Course marking
Fully Marked superiorfalltrailrace.com
Night running
No superiorfalltrailrace.com
Dogs
Not allowed superiorfalltrailrace.com
Headphones
Allowed superiorfalltrailrace.com
Crew rules
Crew may only give aid at crew-accessible aid stations. All aid stations are crew-accessible for the 50 Mile except Sonju Lake Road and Temperance River (Temperance is 100-Mile-crew-only). No RVs/campers/trailers larger than a full-size pickup at any aid station. superiorfalltrailrace.com
Pacer rules
Pacers are not allowed in the 50 mile race. superiorfalltrailrace.com
Drop bag rules
One drop bag per aid station that accepts them; max 15in L x 10in W x 7.5in H. Accepted ONLY at Friday check-in (5-8 PM, Caribou Highlands Lodge rec area) -- NOT accepted race morning. No liquids or valuables; bags unprotected from weather. Delivered to the finish after aid stations close, likely not available until after 8:30 PM Saturday; unclaimed bags donated to charity after ~9:00 AM Sunday. superiorfalltrailrace.com
Cutoff philosophy
Runners must reach the finish within 16 hours 45 minutes (Saturday 10:00 PM). Intermediate cutoffs strictly enforced, with race-director discretion to pull or allow a runner to continue. 'For those that aspire to any of the other more challenging 50 mile, or 100 mile trail races in the country, please note that the cutoffs at Superior 50 are in some cases much more generous compared to other comparably difficult races.' superiorfalltrailrace.com
Aid stations

Every stop, and what you get there ● yes   · no   ? nobody has checked

Mile Station Cutoff Crew Bag Pacer Med To next
0.00 Finland 2:10am · ? 7.00
7.00 Sonju Lake Road ? · · ? 4.20
11.20 Crosby-Manitou 9:10am · ? 9.60
20.80 Sugarloaf 12:10pm · ? 5.50
26.30 Cramer Road 1:45pm · ? 7.00
33.30 Temperance 4:00pm · · ? 5.30
38.60 Sawbill 5:40pm · ? 5.60
44.20 Oberg 7:10pm · ? 7.10
51.30 Caribou Highlands (Finish)
None · cell service
10:00pm · ? ?
Driving your crew

Getting your people there 7 stops with directions the race published.

Finland mile 0.00 cutoff 2:10am

SONJU LAKE ROAD IS TECHNICALLY THE NEXT AID STATION ON THE COURSE BUT THERE IS NO CREW ACCESS ALLOWED - DO NOT VISIT THE SONJU LAKE RD AID STATION. Leave Finland aid station by turning right on Co Rd 7. Drive Approx 6.2 miles to Bensen Lake Rd or just before, parking behind the line of cars on Cramer Road - park only on one side of the road. Walk on Cramer Road to Benson Lake Road and then 1/2 mile up the road to the aid station.

Parking. Park in the parking lots at the Finland Rec Center - once full, park at the Superior Hiking Trail trailhead parking lot labeled as 'overflow parking'. Do not park on road. Aid station is outside, there is no indoor access / access to the building.

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Crosby-Manitou mile 11.20 cutoff 9:10am

Return to Lake Co Rd 7. Turn right on Lake Co Rd 7 and drive 4.0 miles to Cook County Co Rd 8. Turn right on Cook Co Rd 8 (both Co Rd 7 and Co Rd 8 are called Cramer Road) and drive 5.2 miles to Sugarloaf Rd. Turn right on Sugarloaf Rd and drive 2.5 miles to aid station on right. Park only on one side of the road. Narrow road, use extreme caution. Do not sit or stand in the road!

Parking. Continue on Cramer Road until you see line of cars, park behind last car. Walk on Cramer RD to Bensen Lake Road / Crosby-Manitou park entrance, walk road approximately 1/2 mile to aid station. Walk single-file on Cramer Road as far off roadway as possible - people drive very fast on Cramer Road.

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Sugarloaf mile 20.80 cutoff 12:10pm

Continue straight on Sugarloaf Rd 1.2 miles to Hwy 61. Turn left on Hwy 61 and go 5.5 miles to Cramer Rd / Cook Co 1. Turn left on Cramer Rd and drive 3.6 miles to aid station on the right. Park behind line of cars. Do not park beyond aid station. *There are other routes that can be taken from Sugarloaf Rd to Cramer Rd, but you should not take any other route than the route outlined here.

Parking. Continue driving on Sugarloaf road until you see line of cars on West side of road / pointed towards Highway 61 / Lake Superior. Park behind last car. Walk to aid station by continuing on Sugarloaf Road towards Highway 61 / Lake Superior.

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Cramer Road mile 26.30 cutoff 1:45pm

100 MILE CREWS, PACERS & SPECTATORS ONLY - NO 50 OR 26.2MI TRAFFIC ALLOWED AT TEMPERANCE. Go back 3.6 miles on Cramer Road to Hwy 61. Turn left on Hwy 61 and go 1.2 miles to Temperance River Rd. Turn left on Temperance River Rd and go .9 mile to aid station - a volunteer flagger will direct you to do a u-turn, drive down and park on West side of road only, pointed towards Highway 61 / Lake Superior.

Parking. Continue on Cramer Road until you see line of cars and park, facing away from Highway 61 / Lake Superior, on North Side of the road only. Do not park past / West of the aid station / Cramer Rd trailhead. This is also the Moose Mountain Marathon start (8:00AM Saturday; marathon-start area is a separate no-parking zone).

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Sawbill mile 38.60 cutoff 5:40pm

Go back approximately 2.5 miles to Hwy 61. Turn left on Hwy 61 and go 4.7 miles to Onion River Rd. Turn left on Onion River Rd and go 2.0 miles or until you see volunteer flagger - flagger will direct you to turn around and park on the side of Onion River Road facing Highway 61 / Lake Superior. Parking in the trailhead parking lot is for non-race-related day users only.

Parking. Park on the North / West side of the road only / facing away from Highway 61 / Lake Superior. Parking in the Sawbill-Britton Trailhead Parking lot is for non-race-related day users only per the USFS (US Forest Service); race-related parking there is prohibited unless you have a physical disability and need to park closer.

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Oberg mile 44.20 cutoff 7:10pm

Go back 2.0 miles to Hwy 61. Turn left and go 2.6 miles to Ski Hill Rd. Turn left and go 2.0 miles, parking area is on the right-hand side of Ski Hill Road, across from the Caribou Highlands entrance. Walk across Ski Hill Road to Caribou Highlands - the finish line is around back (look for the party tent).

Parking. Drive down Onion River Road until you see a volunteer flagger, they will ask you to turn around and you will park on the West side of Onion River Road, pointed towards the lake / Highway 61. Parking in Oberg Mountain Trailhead parking lot is for non-race-related trail-head users only per the USFS.

superiorfalltrailrace.com
Caribou Highlands (Finish) mile 51.30 cutoff 10:00pm

Parking. Continue on Ski Hill Road until you come to the entrance for Caribou Highlands - if you are staying at / have a room at Caribou Highlands lodge you may enter and park in your designated spot - if you do not have a room at Caribou Highlands take the first right directly after the Caribou Highlands entrance on Ski Hill Road into the large gravel parking lot. Walk across Ski Hill Road onto Caribou Highlands property, walk to the back of the lodge - the finish line is around back (look for the party tent).

Same race, other lines

Other distances and other years

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