Welcome to The Dark Divide Trail Races
100 Miler ~ 100k (NEW!)
50K ~ 15 Mile Fun Run
September 5-7, 2025
The Waitlist is Open on UltraSignup!
*PLEASE NOTE: the new dates are pending final review of the 2025 Operating Plan by Gifford Pinchot National Forest. You will not be charged for your registration until this has happened.
Course Details
Click a button below to view the course description:
Wonderland Running is immeasurably excited to announce some epic changes for the 2025 Dark Divide Trail Races! Read on!
So much new excitement for the 2025 Dark Divide Trail Races!!!
*NEW RACE DATES!!!
The Dark Divide 100 Miler will take place starting Friday, September 5 with a 48-hour cutoff. New for 2025 is a 100k option on Saturday, September 6! Sunday, September 7 will see the Dark Divide 50k and 15 Mile Fun Run. There are no changes to the courses or cutoffs for the original Dark Divide distances. The Cispus Learning Center Pavilion will continue to be the start/finish area.
*PLEASE NOTE: the new dates are pending final review of the 2025 Operating Plan by Gifford Pinchot National Forest. You will not be charged for your Ultrasignup registration until this has happened.
NEW DISTANCE OPTION!!!
The Dark Divide 100 Kilometer will make its inaugural appearance in 2025! This course offers many of the amazing highlights of the 100 Miler course, including alpine ridges, serrated peaks, lovely waterfalls, verdant meadows, towering old-growth temperate rainforests, and the best views of any Cascades trail race. But now in a long day without the 'overnight delight' of the 100 Mile race. Final course details & support decisions still need to be finalized with our permit, but what we do know it will highlight many of the existing course segments that feature outrageous alpine viewscapes, wild and technical ridge running, the most dedicated aid stations, and all the Dark Divide beauty we've come to know and love!
NEW ADDITIONAL AMENITIES!!!
This year we have use of the main campus at Cispus Learning Center! This is great news for us and you! We will have showers, kitchen, and a lot more parking. We also have bunkhouses available with a lot of beds. Beds at Cispus Learning Center may be reserved on Ultrasignup for $45 when you register. Of course, the usual camping options will also still be available.
NEW ONE-TIME, ONE-OF-A-KIND CASH PRIZES!!!
The Dark Divide 100 Miler's unique combination of steep terrain, very technical footing, and wild remoteness make this one of the most difficult (and beautiful!) courses you could ever run!
$4,000 for the first woman to break 24 hours at the Dark Divide 100 Miler
$4,000 for the first man to break 20 hours at the Dark Divide 100 Miler
$10,000 for the first woman to finish 5 Dark Divide 100 Milers
$10,000 for the first man to finish 5 Dark Divide 100 Milers
These new prizes will certainly create some amazing stories of human endurance and passion as they unfold over the upcoming years of the Dark Divide 100 Miler. Let the insanity and the inspiration begin!
The waitlist is open on Ultrasignup!
Registration Fees
Please note that taxes & Ultrasignup fees will apply at registration checkout.
The Dark Divide Trail Races take place in the one of the most wild and beautiful places you will ever race... the vast, rugged, and remote 70,000+ acre Dark Divide Roadless Area. Expect to run one of the hardest races you will ever run as you travel on steep technical trails with long stretches in between aid stations. Also expect to run in one of the most stunningly beautiful places you will ever run. This race is like no other: an exhilarating, exhausting, and life-changing journey; the ultimate North Cascades adventure running experience.
The Dark Divide Trail Races will take you to seldom-traveled places that are unspeakably beautiful, soul-stirringly remote, and uncommonly rugged, in the heart of the Central Washington Cascades. Located in the center of Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, the Dark Divide is a land of deep, solitary valleys filled with centuries-old trees; stunning, serrated sub-alpine ridges that are painted by wildflowers and punctuated by peaks; wild streams tumbling unfettered over waterfalls into sparkling pools; viewscapes that feel like you can touch Pahto (Mount Adams), Tahoma (Mount Rainier), and Loowit (Mount Saint Helens) with your fingers… and a treasure of glimpses into the world as it once was.
We are grateful to be hosting the start/finish and race headquarters at Cispus Learning Center near Randle, WA. These full facilities have plenty of parking and camping available for runners, right at the doorstep of the Dark Divide. There is also plentiful nearby car, tent, and RV camping.
The Dark Divide Trail Races take place upon lands of people who have called this home for thousands of years prior to colonization. Tribes with historic ties to the area include the Cowlitz (Mishalpam, Táytnapam, Sλpúlmx), Xwáłxwaypam (Klikitat), and Yakama people. Wonderland Running fully supports and respects the restoration of rights of indigenous peoples from whom these lands were taken.
Much love and light, happy trails, and we look forward to seeing you in September in the heart of the Central Washington Cascades!
Our Partners
We could not do what we do without our partners. We are grateful beyond measure for their support. Please click on the partner links above to find out more about who they are and what they offer!
Wonderland Running & Andrew Miller Coaching are holding a raffle for one free month of coaching with Andrew Miller… the perfect launching point for undertaking the magical, mountainous adventures that Wonderland Running offers! The raffle winner will also receive a 20% race discount on any 2025 Wonderland event!
Andrew is an accomplished trail and mountain runner (including a Western States 100 winner!) More importantly, Andrew is an experienced, thoughtful, and approachable coach. Regardless of your experience level as a trail runner, you will very much appreciate working with Andrew! Please click below to enter for your chance at one free month of coaching:
We are also stoked to offer a FREE Dark Divide-specific training plan provided by Andrew Miller Coaching! Please click on the image below to access this training plan:
Silver Star Search & Rescue
Wonderland Running could not put on an event as wild and rugged as the Dark Divide Trail Races without the tireless dedicated volunteers at Silver Star Search & Rescue. They have provided our SAR, medical, and communications services for the Dark Divide Trail Races since the very beginning. More importantly, they have been providing search & rescue services for Clark, Skamania, and Cowlitz Counties for over 60 years!
Silver Star Search & Rescue is a non-profit organization based out of Washougal, Washington. Their all-volunteer members are on call 24 hours a day. We strongly encourage you to donate to their dedicated all-volunteer staff for their selfless, critical, live-saving mission. Please click below to donate:
Thank you so much for supporting Silver Star Search & Rescue!
Directions
Here are the directions from Portland to the start/finish area at Cispus Learning Center:
Head north on I-5 to US-12 E (approximately 50 miles)- Take Exit 68 for US-12 E toward Morton/Yakima
Turn right onto US-12 E from the off-ramp. and head approximately 48 miles to Randle, WA
Once in Randle, turn right on to WA-131 S, and head south
After about one mile, go left at the fork on to Cispus Road
Continue on Cispus Road for just over 8 miles
At this point, Cispus Road will be a right turn at a t-junction. Do not continue straight on Forest Service Road 23
Continue on Cispus Road past Forest Service Road 29, over the bridge
After the bridge, turn right to stay on Cispus Road. Do not continue straight on Forest Service Road 28
Stay on Cispus Road approximately 1 mile to the Pavilion which will be on your LEFT. DO NOT go into the main Cispus Learning Center campus on the right.
Here are the directions from Seattle to the start/finish area at Cispus Learning Center:
Head south on I-5 (approximately 30 miles)- Take Exit 127 for WA-512 E toward Puyallup/S. Tacoma Way
Use the left 3 lanes to turn left onto WA-512 E (signs for Puyallup)
In approximately 1 mile, take the Steele Street exit and turn left onto Steele Street
Continue on to 116th Street S and then onto Spanaway Loop Road S for approximately 4 miles
Spanaway Loop Rd S turns left and becomes WA-704 E
In approximately 1.5 miles, turn right onto WA-7 S
Follow WA-7 S to US-12 E in Morton (approximately 50 miles)
From the junction in Morton, turn left onto US-12 E
Once in Randle, WA, turn right on to WA-131 S, and head south
After about one mile, go left at the fork on to Cispus Road
Continue on Cispus Road for just over 8 miles.
At this point, Cispus Road will be a right turn at a t-junction. Do not continue straight on Forest Service Road 23
After the bridge, turn right to stay on Cispus Road. Do not continue straight on Forest Service Road 28
Stay on Cispus Road approximately 1 mile to the Pavilion which will be on your LEFT. DO NOT go into the main Cispus Learning Center campus on the right.
Estimated drive times: Portland, OR - 2 hours, 15 minutes- Seattle, WA - 2½ hours.
Beneficiaries
Wonderland Running recognizes the honor and privilege of being able to use these beautiful lands for the Dark Divide 100 Miler. As such, it is important that we give something back to the community and to this special place. We will be donating a portion of the race proceeds to the following organizations:
All Play/Elementary Facilitation Program Cispus Learning Center has generously allowed use of their facilities for the start/finish area of the race, as well as hosting runner camping and Wonderland logistical operations. We are donating to them on behalf of Cispus Learning Center, we will be donating to the All Play/Elementary Facilitation Program, which is a K-4 program that develops inclusivity and outdoor play in childhood learning and play programs.
The White Pass Scenic Byway is a non-profit whose purpose is to promote the intrinsic assets of the Byway’s natural, historical and cultural resources, and enhance the assets and resources located along the Byway and its partner communities.
Please consider supporting these organizations.
U.S. Forest Service Notice
This event is granted by a Special Use Permit through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.