Trails & Rails · 2026
Slogging Uphill, Cold Beer Downhill: Trails & Rails 2026
If you want mountain scenery, a tough hill, and a beer at the end, this is your race.
By Matt at Race Vacations · June 20, 2026
We left Dallas early Friday and made the nine-hour drive West. Most of it, you’re looking at open, flat Texas, but once you start heading up into Lincoln National Forest, it feels like the world actually has trees again. It’s a slow climb in altitude and just peaceful.
We dropped our stuff at an Airbnb dead in the middle of Cloudcroft. The place is small enough that being downtown meant everything, including the race start, felt basically next door. Packet pick-up was comically simple: just walk to the little National Park spot across the street and get handed your bib and shirt. No lines, no drama.
Race day, more of the same. Woke up and had maybe a five-minute drive to start. The parking and bathroom situation was tight, two stalls for guys and a long line, but not the worst I’ve seen. The weather was perfect, in the 60s at the start, and even hours later, it barely pressed into the 70s. Altitude hit me for maybe half a mile; nothing a little heavy breathing couldn’t fix.
The course gives you some easy miles at first: all downhill, then you hit an uphill section that kind of wakes you up. Scenic for sure. Running the ridgeline, all you see is trees and sky and those blue-green mountains. But let’s talk about the finish, because after the 5-and-a-half-mile mark, things turn into just an uphill grind. Seriously, I think it was around 1,400 feet of climbing over 2.5 miles, and at that point, nobody’s running. You just hike and survive. But you crest the top, see the restrooms (again, very glamorous), and from there it’s barely an eighth of a mile to the end. The beer festival is waiting right across the street.
Cloudcroft was throwing a full-on beer festival, so you finish sweaty and tired and immediately get a cold one. We spent the rest of the day bouncing between barbecue, restaurants, and maybe another beer or two. It’s remote, yes, and I’d say unless you live in El Paso or Las Cruces, you’re going to spend some real hours getting there. But worth the drive for the view and the vibes. Oh, and apparently, this is just one of three races in the local Ultra series. If you do all of them, you get a flannel shirt. I guess I’m half-tempted.
Weather reality
Perfect: mid-60s at the start, sunny and cool all day. Topped out in the low 70s. No complaints.
Course conditions
Mostly smooth trail with gorgeous ridgeline stretches. Downhill up front, then a truly brutal climb near the end. Nothing technical, but that hill will humble you.
Elevation & difficulty
First few miles, not bad; just enough uphill and downhill to keep it interesting. The last 2.5 miles are a proper slog, almost 1,400 feet up. Get ready to walk.
Travel & logistics
We drove nine hours from Dallas. Once you climb into the forest it’s actually a nice drive, but it’s remote; Cloudcroft is a tiny place. If you aren’t within a couple hours, it’s a real road trip. Flying into El Paso and renting a car would make sense.
Lodging
We found an Airbnb right in downtown Cloudcroft. Because the town is small, you can’t really pick a bad location. Everything feels close. Super convenient.
Food & recovery
There’s a beer festival literally across from the finish, which is ideal. Hit up some local restaurants and bars, barbecue included. Plenty to eat and drink after.
First-timer mistakes
Get to parking early or you’ll be circling. Plan for a bathroom wait. If you’re doing the kids’ race, make sure someone is guiding the little ones past the start, because some definitely got off track.
Would we return?
For the scenery, weather, and after-race beer? I’d come back. And that flannel shirt for doing all three races is tempting.
Gear that earned the trip
Firsthand — what I actually carried on this run.
ASICS Trabuco 14
First time racing trail-specific shoes and they were outstanding — plenty of shoe for the rail-bed and the rougher patches, and I'll keep reaching for them. Honest caveat: I've run ASICS for 20+ years, so there was basically no break-in for me. Coming from another brand, give yourself more adjustment time.
Enough shoe for the graded rail-bed and the rougher patches.
View Trabuco 14 →Salomon ADV Skin 12
More vest than an 8-miler needs, but I was testing it for longer days and it was excellent — sat perfectly, never bounced, and the pockets made it easy to stash and grab gels and drink without breaking stride. Close to a perfect trail vest.
Dress-rehearsal kit for longer races — wanted it dialed before the distance matters.
View ADV Skin 12 →AXEN Soft Flask (TPU foldable)
The one piece I'm not sold on. One flask had minor leakage — serviceable for the day, but that's about as far as I'll go. I'll be looking for a better soft flask before my longer races.
Tested for longer days; the seal came up short.
View Soft Flask (TPU foldable) →Maurten Gel 100 (x2) + CAF 100
Plain Gel 100 around the 30-minute mark, the caffeinated CAF gel second, then the last plain gel for the climb and finish. No stomach issues, steady energy — a fueling plan I trust for longer races.
Fueling rehearsal — the sequence held up under race effort.
View Gel 100 (x2) + CAF 100 →Garmin Forerunner 970
Paired cleanly with the HRM 600 and the two worked perfectly together.
Ran the heart-rate pacing setup off the 970.
Garmin HRM 600
The most important piece of gear in this race. I wasn't sure how to pace the last leg with the climb, and watching my heart rate to stay under the red line is what got me to the finish without blowing up.
Pacing the climb by heart rate kept me from blowing up.
Oura Ring 4
Earned its spot for a reason I didn't expect: it showed how much the altitude was hitting me before I even toed the line. I slept at 8,600 ft the night before, coming from flat Texas, and the recovery and sleep data made the warning signs obvious. If you're traveling from low elevation to a high-altitude race, that's genuinely useful intel to have the night before.
Flagged the altitude hit for a flatlander before the start.
Lululemon License to Train Short-Sleeve
I swear by these — amazingly comfortable, my go-to on long races. One honest caveat: in colder weather it soaks through and holds the damp. Great in the heat, but it'll leave you cold otherwise, so for cold races I'd wear something different.
Comfort I trust for long days — just not in the cold.
Lululemon Pace Breaker 7" Lined Short
Great at this distance, but once you get past the half they can start to chafe. For longer days I'd add an anti-chafe balm.
Fine for 8.5 miles; past the half, bring anti-chafe.
View Pace Breaker 7" Lined Short →
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