Saturday, June 10, 2023• West Yellowstone, MT • Course Map
Temperatures will be chilly and the scenery will be stunning at the Yellowstone Half Marathon, which is set for its 5th annual running just outside the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, a place filled with geysers, geothermal pools, canyons, mountains and forests spread 3,400 square miles in parts of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Runners should note that they won’t actually run this race inside the national park — though they will be a very short drive from the park during the race, and will be able to visit the park before and after the event.
The course itself is filled with natural beauty, as runners will make their way largely along dirt roads and trails inside the Gallatin National Forest just outside West Yellowstone, a small town here in eastern Montana that’s home to a little over 1,200 year-round residents, whose population swells in the summer with visitors to the park.
The half marathon follows an out-and-back course that starts and finishes on Old Airport Road, along the western edge of town, and takes runners first into town, along Iris Street, Yellowstone Avenue and Electric Street, and features a stretch past the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, a wildlife sanctuary for wolves and bears that have been removed from Yellowstone.
After that, runners head out into the Gallatin Forest, which spans some 3.1 million acres and is home to rugged mountains and forests, including the tallest peak in Montana.
The biggest hills of the race occur around the midpoint, as runners are making their way along Corrette Ridge Road. Runners will climb a little over 300 feet between mile 5 and mile 7, and then give nearly all of that climb back between miles 7 and 9, as they’re running alongside the South Fork of the Madison River.
Runners will finish the race back in West Yellowstone, on Old Airport Road where they started.
Sunset on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park. (NPS/Neal Herbert)
Race Weather & Climate
Nestled at about 7,000 feet above sea level along the border between Montana and Wyoming and roughly a mile from the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, West Yellowstone sees some of its warmest and driest weather of the year in June, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 18ºF (in 1924) and as high as 93ºF (in 1936).
On race day (June 10), the average low is 36ºF and the average high is 68ºF.
Past Results
- 2020 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results (Virtual)
- 2018 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Yellowstone Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Yellowstone Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
6:30 AM
Course Time Limit
4 hours, which means you’ll need to keep a pace of about 18 minutes per mile or faster.
Fees
- $113 – $155 for the half marathon
- prices subject to increase as race date nears
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Montana’s Yellowstone Half Marathon or 5K race, register online at RunSignUp.com.
Official Race Website
Comments
Ever run in the Yellowstone Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.
I signed up for the Grand Quad Challenge through the Grand Teton Half Marathon. Do I need to do anything to get my name on the Yellowstone Half? I thought I would get info about both races emailed to me when I signed up but I only got info about Grand Teton Half.
Is this race strictly for runners. Is there room for people that just want to walk the 5K?
This race looks absolutely beautiful and I hope to run it someday. The only thing holding me back is the price. The cost is more than a full marathon. Is there a reason, a charity that is raising money?