Cerro Gordo Silver Run 2027

The Cerro Gordo Silver Run sends runners straight up the historic Yellow Grade Road to a ghost town high in the Eastern Sierra. It is an annual 8-mile uphill foot race from the base of Cerro Gordo Road to the old mining town of Cerro Gordo, with about 4,600 feet of climbing before the finish near the museum deck at roughly 8,200 feet. The race is plain in concept and brutal in practice: start low, climb the road, and keep going until the town appears at the top. The road itself was carved out in 1865 to haul silver down from the mountains, so the race reverses the old mining route on foot. Cerro Gordo was once California's richest silver mine, and runners finish inside the abandoned town rather than at a normal trailhead or park. The winner gets their name placed on a solid silver plaque tied to the mines, while the rest of the summit scene leans into recovery and celebration: shade, hammocks, ice plunges, a mountaintop BBQ, live music, games, medals, shirts, and time to explore the ghost town after the climb.