The Bear 100 runs 100 miles point-to-point from Logan, Utah, through the Bear River Range, finishing at Fish Haven, Idaho on the shore of Bear Lake. 22,000 feet of climb. 36-hour cutoff. Held in late September — the autumn-leaf 100. A popular Hardrock 100 qualifier and one of the most beautiful 100-milers on the calendar.
The course
The course climbs out of Logan into the Mt. Naomi Wilderness, traverses ridgelines through aspen-and-pine forests, drops into mountain valleys at the major aid stations, and finishes with a long descent to Bear Lake. The Bear River Range hits peak fall color in late September — the course is famously photogenic. Most of the climbing is concentrated in the first 70 miles; the finish is a long, runnable downhill.
By the numbers
- Distance: 100 miles point-to-point
- Vert gain: 22,000 ft
- Vert per mile: 220 ft/mi (mountain ultra)
- High point: ~9,000 ft
- Cutoff: 36 hours
- Date: Last weekend of September (Friday morning start)
How to qualify and enter
Lottery-entry. Qualifier requirement: a 50-mile or 100K finish within ~24 months. Lottery odds run roughly 1-in-2 for first-time entrants. Less competitive than Wasatch or Hardrock; reasonable to enter and get in within 2 lottery cycles.
Gear strategy
- Vest: 12L. Salomon Adv Skin 12 — autumn temps swing.
- Layers: long sleeve + light shell. Nighttime above 8,000 ft can drop to 25°F by late September.
- Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 6 or Tecnica Magma. Course has technical sections, runnable connectors.
- Headlamp: primary + spare. ~10 hours of dark for most finishers.
The Bear experience
The Bear has the most relaxed, friendly culture of any major Hardrock-qualifier 100. Volunteers know runners by name; aid station food is famously local. Most finishers describe it as the race they recommend to first-time 100-mile runners who want a Hardrock-tier challenge without the lottery pressure.