Logan Peak Trail Race

One of the most important aspects of hunting out west is to be in fairly reasonable shape. You don’t need to be a star athlete, but the better shape you are in will lead to a more enjoyable hunt. The main thing that I do to stay in shape is to run. I have competed in several local races in the past with the longest being the half marathon. At he first of the year I sat down and tried to come up with a schedule of races is would like to do this year.

As I was going through my list of potential races none of them got me too excited. They were all races I have done in the past and there was nothing new. To tell you the truth I was getting burnt out on running on the black top. I needed something different. I started looking into the local trail races.

I started looking into a local race called the Logan Peak Trail Race. I have contemplating doing this race for a few years now. My mind was made up so I signed up and started preparing for the race. It was something new and exciting, just what I was looking for. Let me tell you about the race itself.

The race is a 28 mile trail race which is predominantly a loop course. There is over 7200 feet elevation gain/loss over the entire course. The elevation at the highest point in the race is 9710 feet at the top of Logan Peak. This race has amazing views and lots of climbing through various terrains.

The course starts by running up Logan’s Dry Canyon. Through this section the trail is predominantly a single track trail. Once you get to the top you swing around to the south towards Providence canyon. Through this section you have a commanding view of all of Utah’s Cache Valley. I came across several people who were pointing out their houses to other runners on the trail.

After this section you make it to the second aid station. This point is the start of the out and back section to the top of Logan Peak. This is all on a two track dirt road. It is a pretty steady climb all the way to the top. In this section alone there is right around 1000 feet in elevation gain. Once you make it to the top the view makes all the effort worth it. You have a 360 degree view of all the surrounding area.

From this point you can see three different states at once. If you look north you will see parts of Idaho. If you look off to the east you will wee parts of Wyoming’s mountain ranges. To the west you can see Utah’s Wellsville mountain range, and to the south is Utah’s Wasatch Range. This was a great place to be. I took a few extra minutes at the top and enjoyed the view.

Once you drop back down of the top you swing back to the north towards Logan canyon. I have drove up Logan canyon several times in the past but have never seen it from the top looking down. Again this was a great section of the race with fantastic views. There was even an elk wallow along the trail through this section that I had to stop at and look for tracks.

After this section the trail loops back around to Logan’s Dry Canyon. You follow the trail back down to the finish line.

After completing this race I don’t know why I hadn’t done it sooner. I really enjoyed myself on this course. The atmosphere of this race was totally different of any others I have done in the past. Everyone was so friendly throughout the whole event.

I want to give a big shout out to all the volunteers of this race. They did an awesome job. The aid stations were well stocked and organized. When I came up to an aid station the workers would take my water bottle and fill them up for me. Everyone was so helpful and willing to do anything for you. I felt they all went above there expectations for the runners. I even saw home made caramels at one aid station.

Another shout out goes out towards the race director’s of the race. They had everything very well organized. The trail was clearly marked through out the whole course.

Overall I had a great experience doing this race. This was my first trail race and first ultra race. I will deffinatly be adding this race to my yearly event schedule. Going into the race I had no expectations for my self. I just wanted to finish. Next year I will spend more time actually racing instead of enjoying the views. If anyone is contemplating doing a trail race I would highly recommend this one.

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