Yonah Mountain Vertical Challenge
Cleveland, United States • 21-22 Feb 2026
Event overview
The Yonah Mountain Vertical Challenge is a weekend trail event held February 21-22, 2026 at the Yonah Mountain Trailhead in Cleveland, GA (Chambers Road; coordinates 34.63721066176569, -83.72498145886013). The event offers multiple entry options:
- 5,000FT - 25K (about 3 summits)
- 10,000FT - 50K (about 6 summits)
- DOUBLE UP - 15,000FT - 75K (both days combined)
- TAG TEAM - 10,000FT - 50K (two-person relay on the 50K)
The event sold out in 2024 and 2025. Packet pickup is scheduled across the race weekend and a Friday sunset hike is listed. An after-party is held at NoFo Brew Co, located about 2 miles from the trailhead.
Course and logistics
The course follows the Yonah Mountain hiking trail to the summit and back, using an out-and-back repeat format to achieve the advertised distance and vertical gain. The trail is largely steep and technical, with rocky and rooty sections and a few places that require scrambling over boulders. Near the summit the path becomes a dirt and gravel double-track with some runnable sections.
Support and rules noted in the event information: a full aid station at the main trailhead (passed roughly every five miles), a partial aid point near the summit, hiking poles allowed, events are cup-less so participants must carry their own liquid container, and no pacers or crew are allowed on the trail. Parking is in a gravel lot with limited space and volunteers will direct vehicles. Cutoffs are published by event distance. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.