Canyon de Chelly Ultra

Canyon de Chelly Ultra - October 10, 2026

The Canyon de Chelly Ultra is a 55K trail race held on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The course begins at the entrance to Canyon de Chelly and runs about 17 miles up the canyon to Spider Rock, passing ancient ruins, petroglyphs and pictographs along the way.

From Spider Rock the route continues up Bat Canyon Trail, climbing roughly 1,200 feet from the canyon floor to the Spider Rock overlook turnaround, then returns along the same route. Although not much vertical gain overall, the canyon terrain includes sand, single track, creek crossings and other obstacles that affect running effort.

The first and last 2.5 miles are in sand, which the organizers note produces an effect similar to large vertical climbs. On the return runners will see many of the same views from different perspectives.

Entry is by lottery. Lottery registration runs from February 1 at 12:00 am and closes February 7 at midnight local time. The order of registration does not affect placement on the waitlist. The lottery drawing is conducted live on the event Facebook page on February 8 at noon. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.