Wild Driftless Adventure Race

06/01/2026

We love working with 180 Adventure!

Their signature race is the Stubborn Mule Adventure Race, June 27 in Cable, Wisconsin--5-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour races--part of the Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series.

Join us in the beautiful northwoods!

https://180adventure.com/sm-race-info

The Wild Driftless adventure race is October 3, 2026, in Elkader in northeast Iowa. Trek, bike and paddle using orienteering skills to reach the checkpoints.

05/30/2026

We love cool events in the driftless area, including the Crater Trail Run, June 6 in Decorah!

Everything from 50k to 5k to the kid's mile. Come check out the awesome soft trails in Decorah! Registration closes tomorrow at midnight!

Register Now!

05/30/2026

Sneak peak of a draft for the front/back cover of the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race Race book.

This one-pager will have a complete synopsis of the race course and overall flow of the day on the backside... and no, you won't see that until race day.

Early registration deadline is July 31. Get your teams together today!

www.wilddriftless.com

Travel Iowa
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
CrawDaddy Outdoors
Bike Rags
Monticello River Rentals
Clayton County Conservation
Main Street Elkader
HJR Financial
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
Zanfel
GearJunkie
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
USARA
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series

05/26/2026

50!!!

We just hit 50 registrations for the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race! Last year, at this time, we were sitting at 17. Word is getting around that we have a fantastic race planned for you on October 3 in Elkader.

There is still plenty of room--our permits have us with room for 350 total between the 9-hour and 5-hour races. Let's see if we can get there!

CrawDaddy Outdoors
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
Travel Iowa
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series
USARA
Bike Rags
Main Street Elkader
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
Turkey River Arts and Music
Clayton County Conservation
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
Zanfel
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
GearJunkie

Photo courtesy of Timberdoodle Photography, Elkader in the fall.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day weekend means the unofficial entry into summer and while we love many things about summer, poison ivy is not one of them. Thankfully, we have Zanfel, who is once again sponsoring the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race!

We are especially grateful to Zanfel, not only for providing free samples to racers, but also for their donations to Ewalu, as nothing can ruin a week of camp quite like poison ivy.

Check them out at www.zanfel.com

05/14/2026

Last chance reminder! Learn the basics of navigating and then train on the Ewalu orienteering course is this Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. - Noon at Camp Ewalu in Strawberry Point, IA

Register at the link below!

CrawDaddy Outdoors
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center

Learn everything you need to know for a fun and successful first adventure race experience. From orienteering skills to route planning and strategy, this class and training session will provide hands-on, practical skills that will prepare you for the unknowns that come with adventure racing.

05/13/2026

Did you know... we provide the canoes, paddles, and PFDs?

We are committed to keeping the required gear list simple for first-timers. We can only do this thanks to our sponsor, Monticello River Rentals.

We love all our sponsors but it is a special organization that provides 100 canoes to the Wild Driftless for free!

If you are looking for great full service canoe and kayak adventures on the Maquoketa River, check out Monticello River Rentals at www.monticelloriverrentals.com

05/08/2026

Calling all volunteers!

In year 1, we had over 40 (!) volunteers for the Wild Driftless. Perhaps you are interested in the race but not ready to make the plunge--or maybe the idea of racing for 5 or 9 hours is something well in your past or way off in the future. Either way, we would LOVE to have you involved. Or maybe you just know somebody racing and want to meet new people and hang out somewhere unique all day. We will fit you to your availability and desires!

Roles include check-in and transition areas, medical and specialized assistance, course tear down and SAG, packet stuffing and pre-race prep, and really, a whole lot more! If you are interested in volunteering, check out our volunteer page at www.wilddriftless.com/volunteer and fill out the form!

Race day is October 3, 2026

Main Street Elkader
Travel Iowa
USARA
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
CrawDaddy Outdoors
Bike Rags
Driftless 100
Clayton County Conservation
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
Turkey River Cabin Concerts
Zanfel
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
GearJunkie
City of Elkader

05/06/2026

But how far will we HAVE to go? This is one of the trickiest questions that an adventure race gets when you choose your route, you get lost, and you have the option to skip any number of points.

For the Wild Driftless (9-hour) expect something like:
Maximum of ~40 miles of travel with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain broken into bike, paddle, and trek
Minimum of ~20 miles of travel to be considered a full course finisher

For the Wild Driftless Lite (5 hour):
Maximum of ~20 miles of travel with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain broken into bike and trek
Minimum of ~6 miles of travel to be considered a full course finisher.

Of course, if you get lost and wander in circles you may travel much further :-D

The Wild Driftless adventure race is October 3, 2026, in Elkader in northeast Iowa. Trek, bike and paddle using orienteering skills to reach the checkpoints.

05/02/2026

Are you wondering what kind of maps and instructions you will get on race morning for our secret course? Take a look at the 2025 maps and instructions at the link below.

The Google drives for the 9-hour and 5-hour race have ALL the instructions given to teams last year. Understanding the rules, guidelines, the clue sheets, and the types of maps will help you have a much easier time on race morning!

See results for the 2025 Wild Driftless Adventure Race that took place on October 4, headquartered at Camp Ewalu in Strawberry Point, IA. 180+ racers took part.