Copper Basin 300 Starts At 10 am January 10th, 2026 In Glennallen At KCAM

Race To Start 5 Minutes After Sunrise... At 10 AM 

Drawing of CB300 dog: Gail Niebrugge 

The Copper Basin 300 starts in downtown Glennallen in front of KCAM Radio on Saturday, January 10th at 10 am. 

The first checkpoint will be at Chistochina. Then it's on to Meiers Lake, Sourdough, Lake Louise Lodge, Tolsona Lake Lodge, and then back to Glennallen. 

Here's the official map of the 2026 race:

According to the CB300 website, the race will go along the Glenn through Glennallen and turn left at the Richardson at the Hub.

Then it will follow the Richardson and cross under the Gulkana River bridge. 

It'll head up the Tok Cutoff to Chistochina's Red Eagle Lodge. Posty's will be available with food, race officials say. 

The race trail will cross Excelsior Creek 37 miles from Chistochina, and go up the high 4,085 foot summit called "The Hump" before continuing on to Meiers, Sourdough, Lake Louise, Tolsona and back to Glennallen. 

The section between Chistochina and Meiers has always been extremely challenging – often windy and extraordinarily cold. Excelsior Creek has always been a place of concern. 

Copper River History With the Journal 

THE RACE WAS CANCELLED 30 YEARS AGO IN 1996 DUE TO EXTREME COLD WEATHER WITH DOWN TO MORE THAN 60 BELOW AT EXCELSIOR CREEK 

In 1996, when 50 below zero temperatures occurred day after day, race officials put out the following press release and cancelled the race, with terrible temperatures at Excelsior Creek an important safety factor: 

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF PAST CB300 RACES 

Veteran Musher Martin Buser in CB300 (Journal Archives) 

Governor Wally Hickel and his wife, Ermalee, at Race Start. (Journal Archives)

Mushers down on the Gakona River when the Gakona Lodge was a checkpoint. (Journal Archives)