Dawsonville, GA
IronHike Appalachian Trail Approach Fall Series 2026
The IronHike Appalachian Trail Approach Series is a multi-day elevation challenge at Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, Georgia, where participants repeat a 1.5-mile lap of 604 stairs up and 604 stairs down.1 There are seven events, from the 12-hour, 16.5-mile Kuwohi to the 84-hour, 180-mile Olympus Mons Ultra, and most can be done solo or as a team.1 It is not scored as a race: there is no podium and there are no age-group awards.1
- Date
- First start12:00 AM EST
- Location418 Amicalola Falls State Park Road, Dawsonville, GA 30534
- DistancesUltra · 16 Miles
- SurfaceTrail
Bib Scout Report
- Trail
| Event | Distance | Start | Current fee | Next increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer the Bell - Basic - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $360 | — |
| Answer the Bell - Full - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 AM EST | $1260 | — |
| Kuwohi - Individual | 16 Miles | 12:00 PM EST | $180 | — |
| Kuwohi - Trail Buddy (Team of 2) | 16 Miles | 12:00 PM EST | $270 | — |
| Kuwohi - Trail Family (Team of 3 or 4) | 16 Miles | 12:00 PM EST | $360 | — |
| Double Kuwohi - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $360 | — |
| Double Kuwohi - Trail Buddy (Team of 2) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $540 | — |
| Double Kuwohi - Trail Family (Team of 3 or 4) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $720 | — |
| Denali - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $720 | — |
| Denali - Trail Buddy (Team of 2) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $1080 | — |
| Denali - Trail Family (Team of 3 or 4) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $1440 | — |
| Everest - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $1080 | — |
| Everest - Trail Buddy (Team of 2) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $1620 | — |
| Everest - Trail Family (Team of 3 or 4) | Ultra | 12:00 PM EST | $2160 | — |
| Olympus Mons Ultra - powered by Skratch Labs ® - Individual | Ultra | 12:00 AM EST | $1260 | — |
| Olympus Mons Ultra - powered by Skratch Labs ® - Trail Buddy (Team of 2) | Ultra | 12:00 AM EST | $1890 | — |
| Olympus Mons Ultra - powered by Skratch Labs ® - Trail Family (Team of 3 or 4) | Ultra | 12:00 AM EST | $2520 | — |
Scouted from the official RunSignup listing. Fees shown exclude processing fees.Merit badges are detected from the organizer’s description. Dates, courses, and prices can change — confirm on the registration page.
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IronHike Appalachian Trail Approach Fall Series 2026 race guide
Facts checked against the sources listed below. Race-week details describe the 2026 edition.
| Venue | The AT Approach Trail staircase at Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, Georgia.1 |
|---|---|
| One lap | 1.5 miles: 604 stairs up, 604 stairs down, 604 feet of gain.1 |
| Shortest event | Kuwohi: 12 hours, 11 laps, 16.5 miles, 6,644 feet.1 |
| Longest event | Olympus Mons Ultra: 84 hours, 120 laps, 180 miles, 72,480 feet.1 |
| Team format | FlexRelay teams of 2 (Trail Buddy) or 3 to 4 (Trail Family), with no minimum or maximum per member.1 |
| Scoring | No podium, no records and no age-group awards.1 |
| Finisher items | A finisher's medal and an orange finisher's hat.1 |
| Included | Free tenting, free athlete parking, a base camp support station and on-call medical support.1 |
| Refunds | None. All sales are final.1 |
| Organizer | IronHike Endurance Productions, a veteran-owned company founded in 2023.12 |
How IronHike works
Every event uses the same lap: 1.5 miles on the AT Approach Trail staircase, with 604 stairs up and 604 stairs down, for 604 feet of gain per lap.1 The lap runs between the Reflection Pool at 1,946 feet and the headquarters summit at 2,550 feet.1
Each event sets a number of laps to complete inside a time window. Every lap is a round trip, all stairs up and all stairs down.1 The organizers stress that there are no lifts, no shortcuts and no gondola.2
Participants can hike, power-hike or run.1 The organizers say the event is not a competition against other people: there is no podium, no records and no age-group awards.1
The seven events
The events share the same lap and differ in the time window and the number of laps.1
- Kuwohi: 12 hours, 11 laps, 16.5 miles, 6,644 feet, 13,288 stairs.1
- Double Kuwohi: 24 hours, 22 laps, 33 miles, 13,288 feet, 26,576 stairs.1
- Denali: 48 hours, 34 laps, 51 miles, 20,536 feet, 41,072 stairs.1
- Everest: 72 hours, 49 laps, 73.5 miles, 29,596 feet, 59,192 stairs.1
- Olympus Mons Ultra: 84 hours, 120 laps, 180 miles, 72,480 feet, 144,960 stairs.1
- Answer the Bell, Basic: 24 hours, 24 laps, 36 miles, 14,496 feet, 28,992 stairs.1
- Answer the Bell, Full: 84 hours, 84 laps, 126 miles, 50,736 feet, 101,472 stairs.1
Which event is right for a first-timer
Kuwohi is the organizer's entry point for first-time participants.2 Their rule of thumb is that if you can climb stairs or hike for four hours, you are ready for it.1
At the other end, the organizers say few people have ever finished the Olympus Mons Ultra and that nobody has finished it on this course yet.1
The series draws a wide range of people. The organizers report participants from 30 states and 3 countries since 2023, aged from 10 into their 70s.1
Solo, Trail Buddy and Trail Family
Kuwohi, Double Kuwohi, Denali, Everest and the Olympus Mons Ultra can each be entered solo, as a Trail Buddy team of two, or as a Trail Family team of three or four.1
The team format is called FlexRelay. Each team member has no minimum or maximum laps, mileage, elevation or time on the course, so the team decides who is on the staircase and when.1
The two Answer the Bell events are solo only.1
Answer the Bell: the backyard ultra format
Answer the Bell follows the backyard ultra format: one lap per hour, every hour, on the hour.1
The Basic event runs for up to 24 hours and ends when you stop.4 The Full event runs for up to 84 hours as a last-person-standing contest, continuing until only one participant remains.3
2026 schedule
The Georgia fall series runs from Wednesday check-in through Sunday, December 9 to 13, 2026.1 Every event ends at the same final bell at noon on Sunday, December 13, apart from Kuwohi, which ends at midnight on Saturday night.1
- Olympus Mons Ultra and Answer the Bell Full: check-in Wednesday evening, start at 12:00 a.m. Thursday.1
- Everest: starts Thursday, December 10, at noon.1
- Denali: starts Friday, December 11, at noon.1
- Double Kuwohi, Kuwohi and Answer the Bell Basic: start Saturday, December 12, at noon.1
What is included
Entry includes free tenting steps from the course and free parking for participants at Amicalola Falls State Park.1 For everyone else, Georgia State Parks charges $10 per vehicle for parking.6
A base camp support station supplies hot water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and Skratch Labs and Tosi snacks. Participants are told to bring their own food, mug, bowl and spoon.1 Medical support is on call throughout the event.1
Finishers earn a medal and the orange finisher's hat.1
The venue, lodging and travel
Amicalola Falls State Park is home to the highest waterfall in Georgia and the official approach to the Appalachian Trail.1 The park lodge describes the falls as a 729-foot waterfall, the third-highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River.5
The lodge has a full restaurant and is within walking distance of the course, and the organizers suggest mentioning IronHike when asking about a group rate.1 Lodge and cabin options are open to participants, family and spectators.1
The nearest airports listed are Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, 1 hour 15 minutes away, and Chattanooga, 1 hour 30 minutes away.1
Refunds and transfers
- There are no refunds, deferrals or transfers between series. All sales are final.1
- On request, the organizers may issue a single-use coupon for 80% off a future registration, with no expiration.1
- Transfers within the same series are considered case by case.1
About IronHike
IronHike Endurance Productions is a veteran-owned events company built by U.S. Army veterans, and was founded in 2023.12 It started at Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall, Connecticut, where two series still run each year, in spring and fall.1
IronHike Appalachian Trail Approach Fall Series 2026 FAQ
What is IronHike?
IronHike is an elevation-based endurance series in which participants repeat a staircase or mountain lap until they reach a target, such as the height of Denali or Everest. At Amicalola Falls, each lap is 1.5 miles with 604 stairs up and 604 stairs down.1
How many stairs are in an IronHike lap at Amicalola Falls?
1,208 per lap: 604 stairs up and 604 stairs down, for 604 feet of gain.12
How long is the IronHike Olympus Mons Ultra?
180 miles over 120 laps in an 84-hour window, with 72,480 feet of elevation and 144,960 stairs.1
Which IronHike event is best for beginners?
Kuwohi, a 12-hour event of 11 laps and 16.5 miles. The organizers say that if you can climb stairs or hike for four hours, you are ready.12
Can you do IronHike as a team?
Yes. Most events offer a Trail Buddy team of two and a Trail Family team of three or four. In the FlexRelay format, no team member has a minimum or maximum number of laps. The Answer the Bell events are solo only.1
Is IronHike a race?
Not in the usual sense. The organizers say there is no podium, no records and no age-group awards. Finishers receive a medal and an orange hat.1
What does Answer the Bell mean at IronHike?
It is the backyard ultra format: one lap per hour, every hour, on the hour. The Full version continues until only one participant remains.13
Is camping included with IronHike entry?
Yes. Free tenting steps from the course and free parking for participants are included. Lodge rooms and cabins are also available at the park.1
Does IronHike give refunds?
No. All sales are final, with no refunds, deferrals or transfers between series. On request, the organizers may issue a single-use coupon for 80% off a future registration.1
Sources
- RunSignup: IronHike Appalachian Trail Approach Fall Series 2026 (runsignup.com)
- RunSignup: IronHike Kuwohi, solo listing (runsignup.com)
- RunSignup: IronHike Answer the Bell, Full listing (runsignup.com)
- RunSignup: IronHike Answer the Bell, Basic listing (runsignup.com)
- Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge (amicalolafallslodge.com)
- Georgia State Parks: ParkPass (gastateparks.org)
From the organizer
This is the world's premier mountain staircase endurance series. Push your limits in hard elevation-based trail events. Hike, power-hike, or run. Trek solo, with a buddy or trail family in a FlexRelay. Choose 12, 24, 48, 72, or up to 84 hours of continuous trail trekking to reach your target elevation.
More in Dawsonville: all Dawsonville races · Ultra races