RUNVENTURE SERIES

Join us in North Jersey at the Wanaque Trails during the month of FEBRUARY AND MARCH for the second event in our RunVenture Series! Runners and hikers of all ages and paces are welcome to join us for this semi-virtual event. Each month we will "host" the series at a different location, offering distances ranging from 5K to ultra. We are supporting the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference with our RunVenture Series!

SELF-SUPPORTED

It goes without saying that when you are signing up for this event - you are going to be doing it on your own, as a self-supported adventure. The courses have a great variety of trails that range from runnable woods roads to rugged, technical trails! We recommend bringing the following in your pack: Hardcopy of the map, digital copy of the map on the app Avenza (it is worth the few bucks!), plenty of water (for the 36M loop, you will want to bring a filtration system like the Sawyer Mini or purification tablets). Food. Cash/ID. Cell phone and external battery pack. Headlamp and extra batteries. Emergency Mylar blanket (it's 3 inches big and weighs less than 2 oz and can save your life if something bad happened!). An extra layer, warmer than you think you need - just in case. Small first aid kit - again, it doesn't weigh much or take up a lot of space, and it could save your life. Be sure to check the weather and trail conditions before you go; it's possible that you may need spikes or snow shoes.

CASTLE 5K

This 5K loop will bring you to the magical Van Slyke Castle Ruins! The parking lot is small and often very crowded on the weekends, so we recommend getting an early start and even better if you can go during the week! Park at the Ramapo Mountain SF Upper Lot: https://goo.gl/maps/4ENzinmNi4EK1Mwd6 Begin on the White Trail. Follow the White Trail to the Castle Ruins. Built in the early 1900’s, Van Slyke Castle was burned to the ground by vandals in 1959. Large portions of the castle, pool, and water tower can still be explored today (the pool and water tower are not too far from the castle ruins). When you’re ready to continue, stay on the White Trail until you hit the Red Trail. The Red trail will bear right, you will turn left onto the Blue Trail towards Ramapo Lake. Follow the Blue Trail until you hit the Yellow Trail. Turn left on the Yellow Trail and follow it all the way back to Skyland drive where you will return to the parking lot. This loop has about 500 feet of gain and is a fun mix of singletrack trails and woods roads. We encourage all runners/hikers to take a copy of the NYNJTC Map #115 North Jersey Trails. Please email us at trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com if you would like to receive the .gpx file

MANOR 10K

This 10K will bring you to the Ringwood Manor and the NJ Botanical Gardens! Unlike the Castle 5K lot, the parking lot for the Manor 10K is very large and does not require getting their super early on the weekends. This 10K loop has 1,200 ft gain and is fun mix of single track and wood roads. Most of the loop is runnable but it does include some hiking sections, with most of the climbing in the first mile. Start at the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area Parking Lot: https://goo.gl/maps/S2b4B11JtBuGXJ1w6... Start by following the Red/Orange Trail along Shepherd Lake. When Orange splits to the left, bear right to stay on the Red Trail (Ringwood-Ramapo Trail). The Red Trail will climb Mt Defiance (it’s mostly downhill after this climb!) and meet up with the Green/Pink Trail. Turn right on Green/Pink Trail. Follow the switchbacks down to the White Trail (Crossover Trail). Turn right on White. Follow the White trail to the NJ Botanical Gardens. We encourage you to pause and get off the trail to take some time to explore the gardens and check out the Skylands Manor! There is a restroom (heated!) here as well as a soda vending machine. When you’re ready to continue, get back on the White Trail (Crossover Trail) until you hit the Red Trail (Ramapo-Ringwood Trail). Turn left on the Red Trail and follow it to Ringwood Manor. We encourage you to check out this manor! Although it is currently closed for construction, you can still walk around it and check out the grounds of the Manor. When you’re ready to leave the Manor, hop back on the Red Trail and follow it all the way back to the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area Parking Lot. We encourage all runners/hikers to take a copy of the NYNJTC Map #115 North Jersey Trails. Please email us at trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com if you would like to receive the .gpx file

STONETOWN CIRCULAR 10 MILER

The Stonetown Circular Trail is recognized as one of the most strenuous trails in New Jersey! It summits 5 mountains with a mix of singletracks, fire roads that are rugged, technical and steep at times. It’s a squatchtastic experience, but do expect to be out there for several hours. Ask 10 runners for their stats and you’ll get 10 different answers; depending on your gps device, mileage will range from 10-11.5 miles and elevation gain between 2,600-3,200 ft. Park at the Stonetown Recreation Center and begin by exiting the parking lot and crossing the street to enter the trail to the right, from here the route is simple: complete the counter-clockwise loop one time and follow the White and Red Triangle Blazes the entire time. This trail is very well marked, so if you do not see a blaze for more than 1/10th of mile, stop and turn around. Pay close attention to trail markers whenever you are crossing over other trails as this is where most runners/hikers get off-course. These trails are rugged, technical, steep and rarely overcrowded. Parking Lot: https://goo.gl/maps/YquZRrTnjs7pNGRe7 We encourage all runners/hikers to take a copy of the NYNJTC Map #115 North Jersey Trails. PS-we recommend bringing your trekking poles for this one!

HIGHLANDS 15.5 MILER

The Higlands 15.5 Miler is a rugged, remote and beautiful loop in Norvin Green State Forest. Park at the New Weiss Center. https://goo.gl/maps/j499oRP9Sbe9XZvp7 This parking lot tends to get crowded on the weekends after 9am. This lot is also closed after dark, so please allow enough time to finish before then. From the parking lot, start on the Green Trail. At the first trail split, turn left to get on the Blue Trail. Follow the Blue Trail up to Wyanokie High Point. After you snap a few pictures on this incredible 360 degree summit, turn left on the Blue blazed Highlands Trail/Red Trail. The blazes are faded in some spots, so take your time and make sure you're on the right trail (if you don't see any red blazes, you didn't go the right direction). You'll get some great quad-work in by descending this steep trail! Stay on the Blue Highlands Trail all the way out to West Brook Road. Cross over West Brook Road and onto Stonetown Road on the right. Pay close attention - the Blue Highlands Trail/Red Trail will have a small wood post indicating when you should leave the road and head back into the woods. It is less than 1/10th of a mile down Stonetown Road and is easy to miss. After you get back in the woods, Continue following the Blue Blazed Highlands Trail until the first trail split. Turn left onto the White/Red Triangle Stonetown circular Trail. Follow these blazes until you can see Burnt Meadow Road on your left. You will see the start of the Orange Trail - Lake Sonoma Trail here. Turn left to follow the Orange Trail to the first junction and then turn right on the Yellow Trail - Manaticut Point Trail. Shortly after passing the beautiful Lake Sonoma on your right, turn left on the White Trail - Overlook Road Trail. And make sure you take in the views at Overlook Rock! When you reach the next trail junction, turn left on the Yellow Trail and follow that up to Manaticut point - another great overlook! Okay- here's where you really need to pay attention and get pumped up for a wild ride. When you’re at Manaticut Point, you will follow the Yellow Trail for a hot second and then turn right on the Pink Blazed Trail. This Pink Trail is VERY easy to miss! This Pink Trail is also not very often traveled, and is quite the adventure getting down! Take your time and enjoy this steep descent. The Pink Trail will go along the beautiful West Brook and then cross over West Brook Road. When you cross this road, hop on the Yellow Trail - Camp Wyanokie Trail and follow it to Camp Wyanokie and Boy Scout Lake. From here, you will run along the road for a litte on the Red Trail. Follow the Red Trail back into the woods and the turn left on the Pink Trail. The Pink Trail -Will Monroe Loop will boast a couple of great views before it rejoins the Red Trail. Turn left on the Red Trail and follow it until you reach the junction with the Green Trail. Turn left on the Green Trail and follow it all the way back to the New Weiss Center Parking Lot. We encourage all runners/hikers to take a copy of the NYNJTC Map #115 North Jersey Trails. PS-we recommend bringing your trekking poles for this one! You can email us for a copy of the .gpx file! trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com

RAMAPO 24 MILER

The Ramapo 22 Miler traverses the Ramapo Mountain State Forest, Ringwood State Park and Ramapo County Reservation. This loop highlights the Castle Ruins, the NJ Botanical Gardens and Skylands Manor through the diverse trail systems along the way. Depending on your gps watch, you'll get between 22-24 miles and between 3,800-4,200 ft gain! This is a great loop for squatchers who are looking for a lot of climbing! Start at the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area Parking Lot: https://goo.gl/maps/S2b4B11JtBuGXJ1w6... Start on the Red Trail along Shepherd Lake. Stay on the Red Trail until you hit the Green Trail. Turn Left onto the Pink Trail. Follow the Pink Trail to the tip of Bear Swamp Lake (this trail will turn into Green) and then bear left to get on the Blue Trail. About halfway around the lake, the Red/Silver Trail will be on your left. Turn Left to get on the Red/Silver Trail. You'll pass the Orange Trail on your right (don't turn here). Take the next right on the Red Trail. After you pass the Mill Race Ruins, turn right onto the Yellow/Silver Trail. This trail crosses over Bear Swamp Road and Bear Swamp River where you will find more Ruins. When the trail splits and you can turn Left onto Yellow, take that left. You'll pass over White where there are Millstone Ruins (don't turn here, continue on Yellow). Follow the Yellow Trail to Skyline Drive to the "Upper Parking Lot". You'll cross over Skyline Drive and follow the White Castle Loop
down to Ramapo Lake. The White Trail will join the Blue Trail at the Dam. Continue following the White Trail to get to the super squatchy Castle Ruins! Take some time to explore these ruins and also check out the pool and stone tower. When you're ready to move on, continue on White until you get back to cross over Skyline Drive again. From here, you'll bear left to follow the Yellow/Red Trail. (if you accidentally turn right here, you'll end up right back at Skyline Drive). Follow the Yellow/Red Trail until it splits. Red will continue to the right, you want to bear left to stay on the Yellow Trail. This part does get confusing, so pay close attention: the Yellow trail will split again - continue bearing left, this time it'll keep you on the Red Trail. From here you'll stay on the Red trail until you hit the White Trail, shortly after the very cool lookout at "Warm Puppy Rock". Turn left to take the White Trail to the NJ Botanical Gardens. Take some time to explore the Gardens and the historic Skylands Manor! There are restrooms here and a soda vending machine (and a payphone!!). When you're reading to continue on, follow the White Trail out of the Gardens. You'll leave through the main gate and then soon cross over Morris Road where there is a small parking lot. Turn Right on the Yellow Trail and then almost immediately, make another right onto the Blue Trail. You'll be on Blue for a hot second and then make your final turn for the day by making a right on Red to get back to the Shepherd Lake Parking Lot. We encourage all runners/hikers to take a copy of the NYNJTC Map #115 North Jersey Trails. PS-we recommend bringing your trekking poles for this one! You can email us for a copy of the .gpx file! trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com

WANAQUE 36 MILE TRAVERSE - PART 1

This rugged, technical traverse is sure to be an unforgettable experience on the trails! This 36-ish mile loop boasts over 7,000 feet of gain and is an squatchtastic "scenic tour" of Norvin Green State Forest, Long Pond Ironworks State Park, Ringwood State Park, Ramapo Reservation and Ramapo Mountain State Forest! This 36 mile loop is best suited for veteran trail runners. If you are signing up for this event, please print the description, get the gpx file and bring a paper copy of the NYNJTC North Jersey #115 Map. Follow our self-supported gear recommendations; you will want to have poles and a water filtration system. Please have a couple of bail-out options before you start! ***We have updated the start location to Back Beach Park on 4th Ave in Haskell, NJ. The other State Park locations technically close at dark, so parking here will allow you to start/finish when it's dark! This crazy Traverse starts with a few miles of road running (gross, we know!) because it’s the only way to make it a complete loop. From the Back Beach Park lot, follow 4th Ave a few blocks and then turn right on 2nd Ave. Cross over Ringwood Ave and continue on Doty Road (there are stores/restaurants along Ringwood Ave if you need to make a pitstop!). Follow Doty Road for about a mile until you spot the White Trailhead on your right. Hop on the White Trail - Posts Brooks Trail. Follow the White Trail to the junction where the Yellow Trail begins and the White Trail continues to the right and left. Take the Yellow Trail - Carris Hill. Along the way, you'll have some gorgeous views! THe Yellow Trail ends at Carris Hill and turns into the blue blazed Highlands Trail. Bear right to hop on the Blue Highlands Trail. Soon you will reach "Yoo Hoo Point". Take a minute to look across the mountain and see if you can spot anyone on Wyanokie High Point. If you see anyone - shout "YOO HOO" and you'll likely get a response back. Wyanokie High Point is your next stop! The Blue Trail will take you up to Wyanokie High Point. This 360 degree summit is super squatchtastic! When you're ready to continue on, bear right to continue following the Blue Highlands Trail which is now coaligned with the Red Trail. (You will stay on the Blue Highlands Trail for a lonnnng while, following it all the way up to Long Pond Iron Works.) After you leave Wyanokie High Point, the Blue Highlands Trail will take you out to West Brook Road where you will run along the street for about 1/2 mile. Cross over West Brook Road and onto Stonetown Road on the right. Pay close attention - the Blue Highlands Trail/Red Trail will have a small wood post indicating when you should leave the road and head back into the woods. It is less than 1/10th of a mile down Stonetown Road and is easy to miss. Once you hop back on the trail, you will follow the Blue Highlands Trail/Red Trail all the way up to Long Pond Ironworks! --- continue reading the next section for the rest of the description!!!

WANAQUE 36 MILE TRAVERSE-PART 2

The first 5 or so miles of this section are on the infamous Stonetown Circular Trail and will be perhaps the toughest miles of the day. Get ready to CLIMB! With you get to the top of the Stonetown Circular Trail, next to the Wanaque Reservoir, the trail will cross over powerlines and climb to the summit of Harrison Mountain. **The Red Trail will continue to the left to complete the Stonetown Circular Loop-- you will turn right to stay on the Blue Highlands Trail! Continue following the Blue Highlands Trail to cross over Greenwood Lake Turnpike. Continue following the trail and check out the history Long Pond Iron Furnaces and other historical sites along the way. After the Furnace, the Blue Highlands Trail will continue to the left heading up to Sterling Forest in NY and the Yellow Hasenclever Trail will begin on the right. Hop on the Yellow Trail and follow it across Tranquility Ridge County Park all the way to the Ringwood Manor. This new reroute was recently completed by our friends at the NYNJTC to avoid the once closed trail. Along the way, you'll pass the historic Hope Mine and an old section of a wood-planked road and a charcoal burn site. Once you reach the Ringwood Manor, take a minute to explore the grounds (there is a seasonally operated café and restrooms here - check ahead of time for operating hours). When you're ready to leave, hop on the Red/White Trail and cross over Sloatsburg Road. You'll follow the Red/White Trail until it splits and then stay right on the White Trail. Stay on the White Trail, crossing over Morris Road twice and then to the gate for the NJ State Botanical Garden. The Skylands Manor is a sight to see, along with the grounds of the Gardens. There are restrooms here along with a soda vending machine. When you're ready to leave the Gardens, get back on the White Trail and follow it along Swan Pond until the junction with the Red Trail. Turn right on the Red Trail - Ringwood-Ramapo Trail. You will now follow the Red Trail allllllll the way down to Skyline Drive. Shortly after the big climb up the switchbacks, there will be a beautiful overlook on your right. The Red Trail will soon end after this and the Yellow Trail will begin. Stay on the Yellow Trail until it joins the Red Cannonball Trail which has a red "C" blaze. Stay on the Cannonball Trail until you reach Skyline Drive. When you cross over Skyline Drive, turn right at the first split to get on the White Trail to the Castle Ruins and be sure to explore and snap a few pictures of this awesome piece of history. When you're ready to continue, follow the White Trail to the end where it will hit the Red Trail again. Turn right on the Red Trail and follow it to the opposite end of Ramapo Lake. When you reach the opposite end of Ramapo Lake, turn right to stay onto the Red Indian Rock Trail. Follow this trail to the end where the trail ends at the Back Beach Park lot .

NYNJTC

We are supporting the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference with our RunVenture Series! Please consider donating by using the add-on feature during registration. The NYNJTC maintains and protects over 2,000 miles of trails in New York and New Jerse

FAQ's

FAQ's
Q: What gear should I bring with me?
A: GREAT question! Start by checking the weather. In addition to the appropriate clothing for the weather forecast, we recommend bringing the following in your pack: water, food. Cash/ID. Cell phone and external battery pack. Headlamp and extra batteries. Emergency Mylar blanket (it's 3 inches big and weighs less than 2 oz and can save your life if something bad happened!). An extra layer, warmer than you think you need - just in case. Small first aid kit - again, it doesn't weigh much or take up a lot of space, and it could save your life. And trekking poles will definitely help with the longer distances! Again, be sure to check the weather and trail conditions before you go; it's possible that you may need spikes if there is snow/ice.

Q: Wow - that's a ton of gear - I'm not planning on camping - do I really need to bring all of that stuff?
A: Hey - better safe than sorry, right? You mess with the bull, you get the horns. The trails are rugged, technical and have a ton of climbing - so it's going to take you longer than the same distance on an easier trail.

Q: Be honest-- will I see Sasquatch when I'm out there on the trail?
A: We can neither confirm nor deny that Sasquatch lives at the Delaware Water Gap.....

Q: Tell me about the SWAG!
A: We will mail everyone a handcrafted wood keepsake! If you'd like to purchase more Sassquad Gear, we have a couple of add-on's in the Store link at the top of the registration page.

Q: Ah! I forgot to donate to the NYNJTC! Can I still make a donation?
A: Yes, click the "STORE" link at the top of the page!

SASSQUAD TRAIL RUNNERS

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Event's current local time: 7:22 PM ET