Home of the Gila 100
New Mexico’s only 100-mile trail race in the Gila National Forest along an out-and-back course where the views are spectacular in both directions: the grit going out, the reward coming home
Why runners fall in love with the Gila
This is where the desert starts flirting with the mountains. Trails traverse through rugged ridges, deep canyons, open meadows, and cool forests that feel like they belong in three different states. The Gila’s mix of ecosystems is the secret sauce: you can run year-round, and every season has its own personality.
And when the sun drops? You’ll understand why people come here for the night sky. The Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary sits on Gila National Forest land and is recognized as the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary on National Forest lands. Which is a fancy way of saying: the stars show up in a big way.
Year-round running, from training runs to 100-mile races
Whether you’re training for a 5K, your first trail half, or a 100 mile ultramarathon, the Gila region gives you options. With a huge elevation range across the forest, you can often choose warmer lower routes or cooler high-country miles depending on the week.
Here's a season snapshot:
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Spring/Fall: crisp mornings, sunny afternoons with prime long-run weather
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Summer: New Mexico’s monsoon season can bring lightning, flash flooding, and fast-building storms, so check the forecast, start early, and respect exposed ridgelines and canyons
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Winter: lower elevations often stay runnable while higher elevations can hold snow (pick your adventure)
Why our races only touch National Forest land
The Gila is famous for its wilderness legacy. The Gila Wilderness was created in June 1924 and was the world’s first designated wilderness, spanning 559,688 acres. It's also the largest wilderness area in New Mexico.
To help preserve designated Wilderness character and the realities of roadless access, our events stay on National Forest lands outside designated Wilderness boundaries, where we can responsibly operate aid, safety, and logistics without pushing impact into places meant to stay truly wild.
Remote by nature
Some of our aid station logistics are deep backcountry. For example, your crew directions note that a key aid access road can be rough and high clearance/4WD is recommended, especially with mud.
And because access is limited, we also ask crews to stay at certain aid locations rather than leapfrogging everywhere, keeping traffic, dust, and congestion down so runners have a better (and safer) race experience.
