Crater Trail Run

Event overview

The Crater Trail Run is held in Decorah, IA, at Van Peenen Memorial Park. The event offers multiple distances and uses single-track mountain bike and off-road trails within the park and nearby Palisades Park. Proceeds are split between the Northeast Iowa Montessori School, the Decorah Human Powered Trails and Decorah Park & Rec. The park system has been mentioned in Men’s Journal.

Distances

• 50K - 31.1 miles, 5500+ feet climbing.
• 25K - 15.5 miles, 2750 feet climbing.
• 10K - 6.3 miles, 1383 feet climbing.
• 5K - 3.2 miles, 613 feet climbing.
• 1 Mile - kids mile.

Course and aid

All turns are marked for each race. Aid stations provide water, hydration drink and food as supplies last. Planned aid and drop-bag locations:

• 50K: start/drop bag at the start and Van Peenen entrance (start of second lap), Palisades Park entrance, and a station at "Death Valley" that 50K runners pass four times.
• 25K: Palisades Park entrance and Death Valley station, with Death Valley passed twice.
• 5K/10K: Death Valley station, passed twice.

Logistics

Start and finish are at the Van Peenen Park trail head on Quarry Hill Rd. Packet pick-up and check-in occur Friday, June 5, 2026, 5:00 - 8:00 pm at Decorah Hatchery, 406 W. Water Street, Decorah, IA. Runners may change distances up until Friday packet pickup; after that they are committed to their chosen distance. The event takes place rain or shine; organizers do not guarantee refunds for cancellation. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.