Crown King Scramble

March 23rd, 2024
50 Kilometers
Lake Pleasant to Crown King, AZ

Crown King Scramble 50K From the Spines to the Pines! Lake Pleasant to Crown King, AZ. Run Arizona’s classic 50K footrace from Lake Pleasant to the old mining town of Crown King. You’ll start on the shores of beautiful Lake Pleasant, run through the heart of the Sonoran Desert and climb your way through scrub brush, junipers and ultimately to the cool pines of the Bradshaw Mountains! The finish line at the historic Crown King Saloon awaits you.

RACE SUMMARY

Start Location and Time

6:00 am at the Castle Creek Boat Ramp within Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Morristown, Arizona 85342

Finish Location

Crown King Saloon
7219 Main Street
Crown King, Arizona 86343

Registration

Entry Fees* Until 9/30 Until 1/15 Until 3/18 Race Week
50 Km $160 $170 $180 $185

*Prices do not include applicable local taxes
**Race shirt guaranteed on race day if registered by 3/1/23.

Registration Options
Online via Ultra Signup
Mail-in Entry

Entrant Limit
300 Runners

Packet Pickup
Aravaipa Headquarters
2401 S 24th St
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Friday, March 22nd
Noon-5pm

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Saturday, March 23

Race Day Pickup 5:00AM
Castle Creek Boat Ramp
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Morristown, AZ 85342

Online registration closes on 3/18 at 11:59 PM. If spots are available, registration will be available at packet pickup and on race day.

COURSE INFO

Course Summary

The Crown King Scramble is a point to point uphill 50 kilometer foot race from the shores of Lake Pleasant in the heart of the Sonoran Desert to the town of Crown King in the ponderosa pines of the Bradshaw Mountain Range. The trail traverses through several climate zones that takes you from “spines” to “pines”. The first half of the race is on rolling smooth dirt forest roads and the back half is on rough four wheel drive jeep trail that climbs steeply up into the mountains. You’ll watch Lake Pleasant grow smaller and smaller in the distance as the promise of cooler temperatures drives you forward. The race starts at 1700 feet elevation and tops out at mile 28.7 at 6520 feet elevation before a final 600 foot descent into the finish. This is a race that has it all!

Race Weekend Schedule
Please arrive early to park, check in and warm up prior to your run. Restroom facilities are located at the start line at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

Saturday, March 23, 2024
5:00 AM – Check-in begins
6:00 AM – Race Start (consider a headlamp)
6:26 AM – Sunrise
11:00 AM – BBQ Lunch begins in Crown King
1:00 PM – First Shuttle Leaves (approximate – won’t leave until totally full)
5:00 PM – Final Cutoff – Crown King Saloon (Mile 31.1)
6:00 PM – Last Saturday Shuttle Leaves (approximate)
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Zander Rodriquez Band – Live Music at Crown King Saloon!

Sunday, March 24, 2024
9:00 AM – Sunday Shuttle Departs CK for Lake Pleasant

Course Map

Caltopo Map
View the Caltopo map here.

Course Detail Maps
Lower Map
Castle Creek Boat Ramp to Cow Creek Aid Station

Middle Map
Cow Creek Aid Station to Silver Mine Aid

Upper Map
Silver Mine Aid to Finish

Aid Stations

Five aid stations on course providing water, Gnarly Hydrate electrolyte drink, fruit, sweet snacks, & salty snacks.
#1 – Cow Creek Aid – Mile 8.5
#2 – French Creek Aid – Mile 15.3 (Drop Bags)
#3 – Silver Mountain Aid – Mile 19.1
#4 – Fort Misery Aid – Mile 22.3
#5 – Oro Belle Aid – Mile 27.0
Finish – Crown King Saloon – Mile 31.1 (Drop Bags)

Cut-Offs
All cutoffs will be strictly enforced. With the point-to-point nature of this event, our medical, aid station and communications volunteers must stick to the following schedule for the overall safety of all runners on the course.
NOTE: These cutoff times are the latest anyone can be leaving French Creek or arriving at the finish.

French Creek (Mile 15.3) – 10:30AM
Finish in Crown King (Mile 31.1) – 5:00PM

Race Shuttle
This is a point to point course. One-way shuttle tickets can be purchased here until March 18th. After this date tickets will be available on a first come first serve basis, with limited spaces avaliable. This shuttle picks up at the finish in Crown King and returns runners to the start at Lake Pleasant (around a 2.5 hour drive).  The first shuttle will depart around 1pm, and subsequent shuttles will leave when full.  The final shuttle will leave at approximately 5:30pm, after the final cutoff.  Please be aware that there will be a wait for shuttle departure, and this wait could be an hour or more depending on when the vans fill.  We hope this will give you time to enjoy your meal and a beverage while you cheer on other finishers!

New for 2024 – we will have a Sunday morning shuttle van option that will leave at 9:00am for runners staying overnight in Crown King.

If you have a support person assisting with transport, please be aware that the North Entrance Station to Lake Pleasant closes at 8pm. Private vehicles will not be able to enter after this time (all vehicles can leave via the automatic gate).

Buy a Shuttle Ticket

Drop Bags
Drop bags are only permitted at French Creek Aid Station and the Finish. Please label your drop bag with the appropriate aid station name, bib number, and last name. Drop bags can be dropped off during packet pickup on Friday or at Lake Pleasant on Saturday morning, NO LATER THAN 5:30 AM. Drop bags for the finish line may be dropped off at the start on race day. Drop bags will be returned to the finish line in Crown King when French Creek Aid Station closes down, which means that they will not arrive in Crown King until about 2:30pm. Please limit the size of your drop bags to that of a small duffle.

Elevation Profile
Crown King 50K – 6528 Feet of Climb / 2841 Feet of Descent

Race Perks
Gender specific race shirt
Scenic and challenging course on dirt roads
Well stocked aid stations every 3.2-8.5 miles
Post race barbecue included with entry
Beer available for purchase at the finish line! (bring cash & support the town)

Awards

Awards to top 3 male & female finishers
Awards to top grandmasters male & female (50+)
All finishers receive a custom finisher award

Course Records

FEMALE
2019 Ida Nilsson: 4:26:44
MALE
2019 David Nilsson: 3:47:10

Trail Running & Trash
This race is permitted by multiple land agencies. Please respect the trails and the beauty of the land by disposing of any trash at one of our aid stations. Do not throw trash on the ground–runners caught littering will be disqualified. There will be no restrooms along the trail. Please plan ahead and carry a ziploc of TP 🙂 We ask that you practice “Leave No Trace” along the course to ensure the race continues for many years.

Cupless Race
In our continued effort to reduce our races footprint and preserve the trails we love, this year’s Crown King Scramble will once again be a cupless event.
What does that mean? There will be no paper cups at the aid stations at this race. Runners will be responsible for carrying their own container to refill along the way. UltrAspire reusable cups may be purchased with registration or on race day OR we encourage you to bring your own! Grab a cup, a hydration vest, pouch, or water bottle and we will fill it at each aid station along the way. We ask you to help us in our efforts by preparing for a cup free race day and thank you in advance for being good stewards of the trails! Want to read more about why going cupless matters? Click here!

Medical
We will have our MedStar Solutions medical staff based at Ft. Misery and at the finish at Crown King to assist with first aid onsite. We reserve the right to pull you from the race if medical officials deem it necessary. If you experience a medical emergency on course, please get word to the nearest aid station. Each aid will have satellite communication with our on course Medstar staff.

NOTE: Please do NOT call 911 in a medical emergency. Our medical team is highly trained and understands the terrain and driving access points. Please call the race day number and they will dispatch immediately.

MedStar Solutions Race Day Number: 480-269-4126

Race Timing
All runners will be provided with a race bib that must be worn at all times during the race. You will be checked in and out of all aid stations on the course. There will be chip timing on course and live race day splits will be available on live.aravaiparunning.com

Crewing & Pacing
Due to the remote nature of the course, neither crews nor pacers are allowed.

Runner Tracking
All Aid stations will have satellite communicators to contact medical or the finish line. They will be recording runner bib numbers as they pass through aid stations and be in contact with the finish line throughout the day. If there is a problem somewhere along the trail, please report to the next aid station team.

Aid Station Helpers
This event would not be possible without the help of dozens of volunteers who will be working aid stations, staffing medical checkpoints, operating amateur radio for communications, hauling supplies and runners in 4×4 vehicles and offering hospitality in the town of Crown King itself. Sign Up Here!

Course Markings
The course will be well marked with orange plastic ribbons with black polka dots. Trail junctions and turns will be well marked with yellow laminated signs. Please pay attention to these signs at each junction. In addition, WRONG WAY flagging (blue & white checkerboard) and pink signage will be posted to designate non-race trails. All runners are responsible for understanding the layout of the courses. Please familiarize yourself with the course maps on our website prior to race day. Bonus!! Keep your eye out for “Choose Your Own Adventure” sections. Will you take the slightly longer tangent, or the steeper scramble? It’s up to you!

Camping
Camping is permitted in Lake Pleasant Regional Park but not directly at the start line. Please contact them for fees and permitted areas or visit their website: https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/park-locator/lake-pleasant-regional-park/camping/

Lodging
We encourage all runners to make a weekend out of their Crown King Scramble experience and stay in Crown King with us after the race. There will be plenty of stories to share over a beer or two at the Saloon! Lodging options:
Chris’s Cabin & AirBnB’s: 602-722-5753
Bear Creek Cabins and Ore Belle Cabin: Cindy, 928-899-2031
Bradshaw Mountain Guest Ranch and Crown King Cabins – Taryn, 928-632-4477.
Cedar Roost Inn: Darla, 928-632-5564
Crown King Saloon: Lorrie, 928-632-7053

RESULTS

2024 | Live Results
2023 | Results
2022 | Results
2021 | Results
2020 | Results
2019 | Results
2018 | Results
2017 | Results
2016 | Results
2015 | Results
2014 | Results
2013 | Results
Historical Results (1987-2009) can be found on the event’s ultra signup

Photo Galleries

2024 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2023 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2022 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2021 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2020 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2019 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2018 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2017 | SweetM Images | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2016 | SweetM Images | Aravaipa Photo Gallery
2015 | SweetM Images
2014 | Aravaipa Photo Gallery

We’ll see you on the trails!

Crown King Scramble Video