Hundred-Mile Mountain Runners Reach the Valley Today
Paris, ID · September 26, 2026
One hundred and sixty-three years after the first wagon train rolled into this creek bottom, the valley wakes up to quiet overcast skies and endurance runners descending from the high pass.
The Lead
Exhausted runners and their support crews are crossing into the Bear Lake basin this morning as the 2026 Bear 100 Endurance Run reaches its final stretch. Competitors departed Logan at dawn on Friday, climbing through the Bear River Range and racking up more than 22,000 feet of vertical ascent through turning aspen groves and rocky ridges.
The grueling hundred-mile mountain course descends toward the turquoise shoreline today, funneling runners to the finish line at Conestoga Ranch in Garden City. Family members and valley spectators have set up lawn chairs along the lower canyon approaches to applaud each finisher as they emerge from the timber. With an official 36-hour cutoff time set for 6:00 PM this evening, volunteers will keep hot broth and fresh recovery meals running straight through dusk as the final athletes make their way home.
Today's Outlook
- High 71°F · Low 44°F — Overcast
- Keep a warm fleece handy for morning errands under the gray cloud cover.
What's On Around Town
Today
Bear 100 Finish Line Conestoga Ranch (4275 N Highway 89), Garden City, 8:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free Cheer ultra-runners wrapping up their grueling hundred-mile mountain journey.
Trail Center Fall Vendor Market The National Oregon/California Trail Center (320 N 4th St), Montpelier, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM · Free Eighteen regional crafters, seasonal baked goods, and historic museum exhibits.
The Ghost of Dead Man’s Creek Pickleville Playhouse (2049 S Bear Lake Blvd), Garden City, 3:30 PM & 7:00 PM · Paid High-energy family melodrama packed with comedy, musical numbers, and treats.
Monday
- Bear Lake County Commissioners Meeting Bear Lake County Courthouse (30 N Main St), 9:00 AM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Julia Budge
- When the Deseret Telegraph reached the valley in 1871, mountain snow forced linemen to tack wire directly onto living pine trees. Julia Budge manned the first key, tapping out Morse code from her desk to keep the snowbound valley linked to the world.
Paris Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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