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El Vaquero Loco is a 50K mountain trail race that begins at the northwest corner of Cottonwood Reservoir near Afton in western Wyoming. Runners follow single and double track through the National Forest on an out-and-back course that gains and loses roughly 2,500 metres across the day, passing high-mountain lakes and taking on steep, long climbs with wide views over the Salt River and Wyoming mountain ranges. The race has been held in the Salt River Valley every summer since 2005 and draws a strong field of mountain runners. The 2027 edition starts at 06:00 and is the 21st running of the event.
Start and finish at Cottonwood Reservoir
High-mountain lakes along the route
Steep, long climbs on National Forest trails
Views of the Salt River and Wyoming mountain ranges
Single and double track mountain terrain
Start / Finish
Northwest corner of Cottonwood Reservoir, near Afton, Wyoming
Cottonwood Reservoir, at the end of the out-and-back course
Terrain
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It is an out-and-back route on single and double track through the National Forest. The course passes high-mountain lakes and includes steep, long climbs, with wide views of the Salt River and Wyoming mountain ranges along the way.
The event has been run every year since 2005, and the 2027 edition is the 21st running of the race.
Mountain trail, almost entirely on National Forest single and double track, with sustained climbing and descending at high elevation rather than any road sections.
It attracts a strong mountain running field, with winning times in recent years generally between five and six hours. The 2026 race drew around 60 finishers, and the event has recorded 1,454 finishers over the years.
Entry fee
Registration isn't open yet. We'll show pricing when the organiser confirms.Afton, USA
Expected October 2027
Provisional date, around Oct 4Are you the organiser of 21st El Vaquero Loco 50K Mountain Race?
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