Pines to Vines Trail Race
Always double-check with the organizer's website! This page may contain affiliate links.
Pines to Vines
Pines to Vines is a point-to-point trail race on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail that travels west through Michigan wilderness. The course passes swamps, meadows, lakes, and forests and finishes on a dirt road leading to Sandhill Crane Vineyards, where a backyard post-race party is held. Beer from Sandhill Crane is available for 21-and-older racers and volunteers.
Distances
- 55K
- 55K Relay
- 30K
The route includes multi-use trail sections where horses and mountain bikes may be encountered; horses should be approached in a slow, calm manner for safety. There are six aid stations located at miles 4.9, 7.5, 14.5, 22.2, 26.1, and 29.3. The first aid station provides fluids only, the middle four provide gels, salty snacks, sweet snacks, and fluids, and the final station is a self-serve water station. This is a cupless event; participants must provide their own drinking vessel.
55K runners may leave a labeled drop bag at Aid 3 (Discovery Center, mile 14.5). Finish-bag transport to Sandhill Crane Vineyards is available if participants supply and label their own bag and follow posted instructions. Parking and shuttle operations use a field adjacent to Sandhill Crane Vineyards; starting area parking is available at Silver Lake and the Waterloo Recreation Area Discovery Center and requires a MI DNR Recreation Passport. Runners must meet cutoffs: 10 hours for the 55K and 8.5 hours for the 30K, with required departures from Aid Station 4 by 1:40 PM and Aid Station 5 by 2:51 PM. Pacers are not permitted. Every finisher receives a custom finisher medal; individual race awards are given to the top three men and women and three-deep age-group awards. Relay teams receive medals but no awards. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
