2014 Badwater 135 Route

Behold the new and improved 2014 edition of the Badwater 135, the world’s toughest foot race!

Essential Race Route for 2014
Start in Lone Pine and run up Tuttle Creek
Run to the top of Horseshoe Meadow (23 miles uphill with 6500 feet of elevation gain)
Run back down to Lone Pine
Run southeast to Keeler on Hwy 136
Run up Yellow Grade Road to Cerro Gordo (7.5 miles uphill with 5500 feet of elevation gain)
Run back down Yellow Grade Road to Hwy 136
Run southeast on Hwy 136 / hwy 190 to the Darwin Turn-Off.
Turn around and run Hwy 190 / Hwy 136 back to Lone Pine
Finish by running from Lone Pine to Whitney Portal (13 miles uphill with 5000 feet of elevation gain)

Compared to the traditional route, the 2014 version has over 17,000’ (5,200m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 12,700’ (3900m) of cumulative descent, while the traditional Death Valley-based route has 13,000’ (3962m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700’ (1433m) of cumulative descent. Though the 2014 edition does not start in Badwater and traverse Death Valley and Panamint Valley, the actual topography of the new route is significantly more challenging and very much worthy of the moniker, “world’s toughest foot race.”

Route Landmarks

2014 Badwater 135 Ultramarathon Route Landmarks

Created with GPS measurement: June 2014.

Distance	Landmark	Elevation
	NOTE: TL = Traffic Light; SS = Stop Sign; T-Int = T-Intersection
0.0	Start west on Whitney Portal Road from Brewery Street	3740′
0.4	Left on Tuttle Creek Road NO SUPPORT VEHICLES NEXT 3.1 MILES	3780′
0.6	Pass Portagee Joe Campground on right (toilet 50 yards west of road)	3790′
1.55	Cross LA Aqueduct	3800′
3.8	Pass Hopalong Cassidy House on Right	4500′
4.1	Pass Thundercloud Lane on Left VEHICLE SUPORT BEGINS	4580′
5.8	Right on Lubken Canyon Rd. (SS, T-Int)	4700′
6.2	Left on Horseshoe Meadows Rd. (SS, T-Int)	4800′
	Dangerous, narrow area! No slow driving or stopping on road!
9.2	DeLaCour Ranch (Switchback #1 starts) TOILET	5470′
10.6	Enter Inyo National Forest	6000
11.65	Switchback #2 starts	6400′
13.3	Switchback #3 starts	7000′
14.8	Switchback #4 starts	7600′
15.9	Switchback #5 starts; watch for rocks on road	8000′
16.6	Cell Service ends for Verizon; AT&T continues to work for 1.4 miles
16.7	Switchback #6 starts	8400′
16.9	Switchback #7 starts	8500′
18.0	Walt’s Point (AT&T cell service ends)	9000′
19.0	Summit, followed by short downhill	9300′
19.9	Low Point; resume climbing	9050′
21.6	“Wood Gathering Prohibited” / Gate	9600′
21.7	Stay left / Straight (Old Pack Station location)	9700′
21.9	Stay left / Straight towards Cottonwood Pass	9720′
22.1	Left into Day Use area: Time Station #1 (6135′ cumulative ascent)	9730′
22.2	Toilet on short loop road	9730′
22.3	Right to return down/east on Horseshoe Meadows Rd. (SS, T-Int)	9730′
24.4	Low Point; begin 250′ ascent	9050′
25.25	Summit; begin long descent	9300′
26.4	Walt’s Point (AT&T cell service resumes)	9000′
27.4	Switchback #7 starts	8500′
27.8	Switchback #6 starts	8400′
27.9	Verizon cell service resumes
28.4	Switchback #5 starts	8000′
29.4	Switchback #4 starts	7600′
30.9	Switchback #3 starts	7000′
32.6	Switchback #2 starts	6400′
35.0	DeLaCour Ranch (Switchback #1) TOILET	5470′
38.4	Right on Lubken Canyon Rd.	4800′
38.5	Left on Tuttle Creek Road	4700′
40.0	Cross Sunset Drive (Crew vehicles go west to meet runners at Mile 43.9)	4580′
40.2	Pass Thundercloud Lane on Right NO SUPPORT VEHICLES NEXT 3.1 MILES	4580′
42.8	Cross LA Aqueduct	3800′
43.8	Pass Portagee Joe Campground on left (toilet 50 yards west of road)	3790′
43.9	Right on Whitney Portal Rd. (SS, T-Int) VEHICLE SUPPORT RESUMES	3780′
44.4	Right on Hwy 395 (TL)	3740′
44.5	Pass Dow Villa on Left: Time Station #2	3740′
45.9	Pass last gas and food: Chevron / Lee’s Frontier Deli on right	3700′
46.2	Left on SR 136 / SR 190	3690′
48.8	Cross Owens River	3610′
49.6	Left onto Dolomite Loop	3600′
54.2	Left onto Hwy 136 (SS, T-Int) WATCH FOR SOFT SHOULDERS	3440′
59.1	Pass Cerro Gordo Rd. on right in Keeler	3680′
59.4	Left on Cerro Gordo Rd: Time Station #3 TOILET NO SUPPORT VEHICLES NEXT 15.4 MILES	3680′
64.0	False Summit “Geology Flats” (Water/Ice) (8650′ cumulative ascent)	5750′
65.0	Enter Joshua Tree forest	6200′
65.8	“No Hunting” sign on wooden mining equipment on left	6930′
67.1	American Hotel in Cerro Gordo: Time Station #4 TOILET (11,000′ cumulative ascent)	8000′
70.2	False Summit “Geology Flats” (Water/Ice)	5750′
74.8	Left onto Hwy 136 (SS, T-Int): Time Station #5 VEHICLE SUPPORT RESUMES	3670′
79.3	Straight onto Hwy 190 (No Cell Service until Mile 102)	3830′
80.6	4000′ Elevation Sign on left	4000′
82.6	Gunsight Pass	4340′
85.9	Gravesite / Large Cross on left	4540′
90.7	Mile Marker 36.0 on right	5000′
91.25	Large pull-out on right: Time Station #6 (0.9 mile before Darwin turn-off)	5150′
96.5	Gravesite / Large Cross on right	4540′
99.8	Gunsight Pass	4340′
100.7	“100 MILES” painted on road on left side	4160′
101.9	4000′ Elevation Sign on right	4000′
103.1	Straight onto Hwy 136 at Hwy 190 junction (Cell service resumes)	3830′
107.7	Pass Cerro Gordo Road on rightinI Keeler (former TS #3/5)	3670′
113.0	Pass Dolomite Loop on right	3440′
117.2	Pass Dolomite Loop on right again	3600′
118.0	Cross Owens River	3610′
120.7	Right on Hwy 395 (SS, T-Int)	3690′
122.4	Pass Dow Villa on right: Time Station #7	3740′
122.5	Left on Portal Road (TL)	3740′
	No slow driving or stopping on road!
125.6	Pass Horseshoe Meadow Rd. on left	4520′
126.8	Pass Cuffe Ranch on right	5100′
128.1	Pass Olivas Ranch Rd. on left	5300′
129.0	Pass Lone Pine Campground on left	5700′
	Dangerous, narrow area! No slow driving or stopping on road!
130.8	Large pullout on right before switchbacks section: Time Station #8	6890′
131.8	“The Switchback”	7215′
132.4	Vista Point on left	7400′
133.4	Whitney Portal Recreation Area sign	7700′
133.7	Family Campsites on left	8100′
134.3	Overflow Parking Lot on left	8200′
134.4	Finish Line 100 yards beyond Mount Whitney Trail sign (17,000′ cumulative ascent)	8360′
	Copyright ©AdventureCORPS, Inc.

Official distance is 135.0 miles. Remember all car odometers have error. Distances above are accurate in a relative sense, but you may find variation in the overall distance, as we did when creating the above route sheet.

> Description of the major ascents by 2014 entrant Josh Spector

> Mile by Mile Images of the Horseshoe Meadows ascent from Mile 0 to Mile 23 by Ben Jones

> More Images of the Horseshoe Meadows ascent from Mile 0 to Mile 23 by Ben Jones

> Images of the Cerro Gordo ascent / descent from Mile 60 to Mile 75 by Ben Jones.
While 2014 race entrant Josh Spector and his crew trained on that stretch of the route.

Read about Cerro Gordo, the Ghost Town.
Ghost Town Explorers Wikipedia Ghost Towns Cerro Gordo

Lone Pine Map and Services Guide: a very handy reference tool for Badwater runners and crews
Lone Pine Guide [PDF]

> Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce

> Lone Pine weather

> Lone Pine historical weather trend data

> Information about the history (1977-2013) race route