2026 Death Valley Trail Marathon & Half Marathon
About the race
Titus Canyon has reopened after being closed for several years due to storm damage from heavy rains. The run will start and finish at the West end of Titus Canyon where it intersects with Scotty's Castle Road.
Titus Canyon is one of Death Valley's most scenic canyons and a true runner's paradise. The desert is beautiful this time of year with mild temperatures.
Entry limit
The event is limited to 200 total participants (due to National Park Service rules) and sells out months in advance.
Cancellation policy
Athletes can cancel their registration, but no refund is given.
Registrations are non-refundable, even in the case of a cancellation, but a credit toward a future race will be given if the race is cancelled.
The course
The run starts and finishes at the West end of Titus Canyon where it intersects with Scotty's Castle Road. The half marathon goes into the canyon to an aid station at mile 6.5 and returns to the finish. The marathon completes the half marathon route twice. Road construction starts just past the half marathon turnaround, so the marathon route cannot be extended further into the canyon. Construction in the Red Pass area over the winter means the West end of Titus Canyon is the open section used for the run.
Course construction and route notes
There will be construction in the Red Pass area over the winter, but the West end of Titus Canyon will be open, allowing the run to take place there.
There is road construction starting just past the half marathon turnaround, so the marathon route cannot be extended further into the canyon.
Conditions and temperatures
The desert is beautiful this time of year with mild temperatures, with lows at night between 30 and 40 degrees and highs during the day from the low-60s to mid-70s.
Location
Death Valley, CA, USA Open in Google Maps
City insight: Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, United States, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. The World Meteorological Organization lists it as the site of the hottest surface temperature recorded on Earth, a 134 °F reading from Furnace Creek in 1913 that some modern experts dispute. The desert climate is extremely hot in summer and mild in winter, so winter and early spring are the only practical seasons to race.
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