BIG BEAR SQUATCH NORTH
APRIL 5, 2025
Sassquad and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference are proud to present the 4th rendition of the Harriman Big Bear SquaTCh North at Harriman State Park in Bear Mountain, New York! Join us on Saturday April 5, 2025 for this mountain Trail Party! This event WILL sell-out before race day so register early to avoid being added to the waitlist!
TRAIL PARTY DETAILS
BIG BEAR SQUATCH NORTH
This is hands-down, the toughest race in our series. Make no mistake about it, this is a true northeast mountain race! Runners and hikers will experience non-stop trail beauty, scrambling, epic climbs, and vistas. Your race registration is directly helping the Trail Conference maintain the trails at Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain State Park. (The capitalized "TC" in SquaTCh stands for "Trail Conference"!!)
CHARITY PARTNER
We are proud to be co-hosting this trail party with our friends at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference! 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 Jersey. Please consider donating to the Trail Conference so they can continue to maintain the trails that we will be enjoying!
REGISTRATION
​WHAT'S INCLUDED?
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Bib & safety pins
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Swag item
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Handcrafted Finishers' Medal
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Aid Stations with water, Skratch and snacks
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Awards for top 3 male, female and non-binary
TRAIL PARTY LOCATION
The race will start and finish at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area off of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bear Mountain, NY.
COURSE MARKINGS
The course will be marked with pink ribbons and we have large directional arrows at each of the turns. To learn more about how we mark the course and what the ribbons and signs look like, squatch on over to the Sassquad Trail School to watch the information video about our course markings!
SAFETY CHECKPOINTS
Throughout the course, you'll notice yellow signs with large letters on them (A, B, C etc). These are our Safety Checkpoints; in the event of an emergency, you can use these signs to easily identify your location. As your pass by them, just take mental note in case you need to reference them. The NY State Park Rangers will be on-site to provide any needed support during the event.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:15am-8:45am Check-In
9am both events start
Mile 7.5 (start of the second lollipop for 13.1M) Cutoff: 12:30pm
3pm 10K & 13.1M Finish Line Cutoff
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There is a 6 hour cutoff for both events. Half Marathoners need to maintain a 27 min 30 sec per mile pace to make the cutoffs. The 10Kers need to maintain a 58 min per mile pace to finish by 3pm.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Our course highlights the technical trails, beautiful views, and steep climbs of Harriman State Park. This is NOT a flat course; this is a MOUNTAIN race. We have rerouted this course and changed the distances three out of the four years due to storm damage and trail reroutes. The extensive storm damage from July 2023 still keeps many of the trails at Harriman and Bear Mountain closed. We are using the same 10K and 13.1M courses from 2024 for the 2025 rendition of the Big Bear SquaTCh North. The 10K packs in 1,400 ft of elevation gain and the half marathon climbs over 2,600 ft! Both the 10K and the 13.1M courses are rugged, technical, and have steep climbs/descents, cliffs, and scrambling. This event is not recommended for kids under the age of 16.
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The half marathon starts with a 7.5 mile lollipop course that is much less rugged than the second lollipop that follows the 10K course. Half Marathoners will return to the start/finish after the first 7.5M lollipop course before going out for the second lollipop which is the 10K course. The 10K course is tough but your hard work will be rewarded with incredible views of the NYC skyline, the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley. Highlights include Cat's Elbow and West Mountain - it's absolutely squatchtastic!
REQUIRED GEAR
Our race course is NOT flat and the trails are very technical, steep and rugged. Both distances will be a challenge for even the veteran mountain runners/hikers. We do not recommend this event to kids under the age of 14.
ALL participants are REQUIRED to have the following with them at all times:
- Charged cell phone
- Water bottle or hydration pack - we recommend packing at least 1.5L of water.
- At least 300 extra calories
- Whistle (most running packs have a whistle built into them)
- GPX of course map on phone or device
The following items are recommended, but not required:
- Poles
- External battery pack for phone
- Head lamp and extra batteries
- Buff/hat/gloves
- Wipes
- Ziploc baggie to pack out trash
AID STATIONS
The half marathon will go through the Queensboro Aid Station at mile 4 where they will be met by our Volunteer Dream Team who will be ready to dish out snacks and water! We will have snacks, water, and Skratch ready for the half marathoners when they arrive back at the start/finish at mile 7.5 before heading out for the back half of the course. There is a water-only aid station at the West Mountain Shelter around mile 11. The 10K will pass through this water-only aid station at the West Mountain Shelter at mile 4.
RUCKING DIVISION
Introducing the new Rucking Division for the 10K! We've got two divisions for Rucking based on weight: Lightweight (15 lbs) and Heavyweight (30 lbs). Both divisions are open to men, women, and nonbinary athletes. You gotta use a pack or ruck for carrying the weight (no weight vests!). The 15 lbs or 30 lbs is your pack's "dry weight", so that's weight before you add water, snacks, your umbrella and poncho etc etc. All rucking participants will receive a GoRuck patch!
"NATURE"
Bear Mountain, NY is home to a variety of critters. So this is your "nature disclaimer". Yes, there are Black Bears. Here is what ya need to do if you see a bear during the race (this is from the Dept of Environmental Protection): If you see a bear, make it aware of your presence and use common sense. Never approach the animal; observe it only from a distance. Clapping, talking, singing, or making other noises lets the bear know you are nearby. Remain standing, avoid direct eye contact, back up slowly, and speak in a calm, assertive voice if you encounter a bear at close range. Do not run.... More information on Bear Encounters.
VOLUNTEER DREAM TEAM
Our Volunteer Dream Team is what makes all of the Trail Magic happen! Join us as a Volunteer at this trail party as we support our squatchtastic running community. We have many Volunteer opportunities available such as Check-In, Aid Station Crew, Course Sweepers, etc. Click here to Volunteer!
GETTING TO THE RACE
The start/finish is at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area off of Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bear Mountain, NY.
Q: I could get lost in a brown paper bag. Will the course be marked?
A: We will have bright colored ribbons along the course and plenty at all of the turns.
Q: Can I sign my kids up for the Trail Party?
A: Yes! We want the WHOLE family to come out to our events! We have a special discount code for families registering 3 or more Squatches in the same household. Please email us (trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com) before you register so we can give you the code! Once you have the code, be sure to register your child separately and agree to the waiver for minors. And make sure to keep track of little Westley and Buttercup before during and after the race. We only have 1 search-party and they're already out there looking for Sasquatch.
Q: Can I bring my dog?
A: Sorry, but your pup has to stay at home for this race. Our liability insurance does not cover dogs at our events; thank you for understanding!
Q: Are there restrooms at the start/finish area?
A: There are portajohns at the start/finish area.
Q: Can I have a pacer?
A: As with all of our events, Squatchers over the age of 60 and AWD (athletes with disabilities) can have a pacer/guide at any time. Please fill out the pacer registration form ahead of time and be sure to pick-up a pacer bib during check-in! Pacers are not allowed for other runners and hikers without prior approval from the Trail Party Director.
Q: I can't come to the Trail Party anymore, can I get a refund?
A: ​Like many other race organizations, we do not offer refunds for our events. Please take the time to double check your calendar before registering for a Trail Party. Please understand that we do not offer refunds under any circumstances. If you notify us via email (not through social media, text or phone call) more than 21 days from the date of the Trail Party, we will extend a deferral to any of our events that fall within one calendar year of the Trail Party that you were registered for. If you sustain an injury less than 21 days from the race date, we will extend a deferral if you come to that race to volunteer for at least 4 hours. If the race that you want to drop from is sold-out with an active wait-list and are able to fill your spot: if you notify us via email (not through social media, text or phone call) at least 3 days before the race, we will extend a deferral to any of our events that fall within one calendar year of the Trail Party that you were registered for. The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race (not including UltraSignUp fees) so you will need to cover any difference in fees; refunds will not be issued if the deferred event costs less than your race credit. You can only defer one time so please doublecheck that you can make the race you're deferring to.
​Q: Me and my friend aren't registered for the race, but we're still planning on coming to run. We won't eat from the aid station or take a medal or swag. This is okay, right?
A: NO THIS IS NOT OKAY. This is called being a "race bandit" and it is stealing. Not paying for a race and running the race is stealing from the race organization (even if you're not taking food or swag). Don't do this at a Sassquad trail party or ANY other race. It's not okay. If you bandit a race, you will be banned from registering for any of our Sassquad events.