FERAL SWAN TRAIL FEST

HANDBOOK - COMING SOON

MAY 21-23, 2027

Ringwood, New Jersey

Unleash your inner wild at the Feral Swan Trail Fest at Ringwood State Park from May 21–23. This three-loop cloverleaf course, has distances up to a 100K, including a 24 hour timed event with the option to relay with 4-6 of your trail besties! Each race at the Feral Swan gets the full 24 hour cutoff! Every loop brings you right back to Squatch HQ with free camping, an unhinged aid station, and non-stop good vibes to keep the party going all weekend long. Whether you're chasing your first trail ultra, testing your limits or wanting to camp out under the stars with fellow runners and hikers, the Feral Swan is the best combo of community and pure trail magic. We are supporting our non-profit partner, Bigger Than The Trail with this Trail Party!

QUICK STATS

RACE FORMAT:

24H, 24H Relay, 100K, 50M, 50K, 13.1M, 10K, 5K, Kids 1M
3 different trail loops repeated

CUTOFFS: 24 hours for all events

CAPACITY: Capped at 500 participants across all events

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: No public transit options available. Email us, and we can help coordinate a carpool!

CHECK OUT THE TRAIL PARTY HANDBOOK - COMING SOON

OUR TRAIL PARTY HANDBOOK IS THE MAIN HUB FOR INFORMATION - HANDBOOK COMING SOON!

What started as a temporary home for the Wild Goose in 2026 has officially gone feral! The Feral Swan Trail Fest is coming to Ringwood State Park from May 21–23 as its own permanent, standalone weekend of trail magic. Featuring a three-loop cloverleaf course with distances up to 100K and a 24-hour relay option, every loop brings you right back to Squatch HQ for free camping, unreal aid station goodness, and full-on festival vibes. The Goose may have flown back to Wawayanda, but the Feral Swan is here to stay!

We are proud to partner with Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT). BTTT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health. BTTT's mission is to enrich the lives of individuals struggling with mental health. Through their fundraising efforts, BTTT cost-free therapy to those in need! Please consider making a donation to BTTT!

TRAIL PARTY LOCATION

The address to the main entrance is 100 Shepherd Pond Rd, Ringwood, NJ 07456. When you enter the park through the main entrance on Sloatsburg Road, follow signs to Shepherd Lake. It will take about 5 minutes to get there from the entrance on Sloatsburg Road. Interested in carpooling? Contact us and we will help you find a ride!

When you arrive, you’ll need to purchase a $5 parking pass (this is required by the parks; we do not profit from this); please have exact change in cash. You’ll need to keep the hangtag visible in your vehicle while you’re at Ringwood State Park; the parking pass is good for the entire weekend and you are welcome to come and go throughout the event.

There are over 500 spots in the parking lot, so we don’t need to worry about parking. All spots are open except for the boat launch lot which will remain closed for the race so it’s available for public use.

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, minus 15% of the registration fee that you originally paid.
If you sustain an injury less than 21 days from the race date, we will extend a 100% deferral if you come to that race to volunteer. For distances less than 50K, you'll need to volunteer for at least 4 hours and for 50M+ distances, you'll need to volunteer for at least 8 hours to get a 100% deferral.
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, minus 15% of the registration fee that you originally paid.
The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race, minus 15% (total credit does 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 double-check that you can make the race you're deferring to.

PREGNANCY, ADOPTION, & POSTPARTUM POLICY

Whether planned or unplanned, the beginning or end of a pregnancy requires healing and recovery time. We are committed to supporting you in this regard. If you are experiencing a pregnancy or postpartum healing and recovery, or have adopted a child, we are pleased to offer a deferral of up to three years from the current event. Simply send us an email and we will arrange the deferral for you. This deferral policy includes partners and spouses and is also extended to folks who are going through the IVF process.

COMMUNITY CARE DEFERRAL POLICY

We recognize that the current climate around immigration enforcement, including ICE activity, is creating real fear and barriers to training, travel, and participation. Any registered participant who feels unsafe may request a deferral of their race entry for up to three years from the original race date, no questions asked. For anyone who still wants to participate but is feeling hesitant, our Squatch Together Program offers the option to be paired with another runner or hiker for support before, during, and after race day. Your safety, dignity, and sense of belonging come first.

BANDITS

Any individuals caught banditing a race will be banned from Sassquad events. Banditing means that you are on our race course without registering. Please do not bandit our Trail Parties or any other event!