So a few months ago, I picked up the NY/NJ Trail Conference maps and started exploring some lesser known/ridden trails. A lot of this stuff is old dirt roads, powerlines, and ATV trails, and not much of a destination type of riding. However, they can be used to link together different parks into some epic rides. I am an expert-level Strava stalker, and I grabbed some GPX files and just went out on some exploratory rides, and then I put together two different epics. I have some other ideas and just wanted to throw these out there to show what is possible and get some other ideas from people. I'm hoping to do some overnight couch surfing bike epics, as well as some more big single day rides.
https://www.strava.com/activities/449778215
I did this first ride back in December. I rode from my house in Parsippany to Speedwell Lake in Morristown, and then I took Patriot's Path out to the West Morris Greenway and into Dickerson Mine. I then went through an industrial park and onto some powerlines and into Canal Park in Wharton. I then made my way over to Berkshire Valley WMA and into Minnisink Park, and then I ducked out through someone's backyard and took the road to Jefferson. Then I cut through Mahlon WMA, down the Snow Bowl, and took the road over to Green Pond Ridge. At that point I was running out of daylight and just winged it making my way down to Wildcat, then Jonathan's Woods, Muriel Hepner, the Tourne, and then road back to my house.
https://www.strava.com/activities/515366675
I did this ride yesterday, starting at the bat cave in Wildcat. Here is a cut and paste of my ride description from the BIYF thread:
I crossed Green Pond and took some trails behind the Hibernia Auto Restoration place and into White Meadow Lake. I skipped the trail here and just took the road over to Mount Hope Historic Park. I cut through there mostly on a rail trail and then hit a little singletrack before taking the trail under 80 and 15 into Wharton. I took the rail trail in Canal Park over to Berkshire Valley Rd, and then a real short road ride into Berkshire WMA. I went up the old railbed and then hopped on the road and crossed 15 in the center of Jefferson and popped into the Mahlon WMA.
I tried to shortcut through some local Lake Shawnee trails from memory, but I screwed it up and came to an impassable river and had to kinda cut through someone's yard to get around it. Then I just took the railbed in Mahlon up to the power lines and down to Glen Rd in Sparta. I crossed onto Ridge Rd and took the power lines and fireroads through Sparta Mountain WMA. I made my way out to Rt 23 and then rode some railroad tracks to some ATV trail to the Harry Cole trail in Stockholm. I was following a GPX file I had that I thought took Harry Cole all the way to Cannistear, but I was wrong and it doubled back toward Stockholm Rd. I then followed another GPX file to make my way back to Cannistear. There was a good amount of busted ATV trails that were pretty damn hard.
I rode up Cannistear a bit and then ducked behind a fence and onto the gas pipeline. The GPX file I was following went off the pipeline and back on it, presumably due to the huge swamp on the pipeline. I didn't find any trail there and just bushwhacked through following the line on my Garmin. I eventually got back to the pipeline and was in Wawayanda. I rode down Pines and then went and did Budda and Thirsty Dog before taking Old Coal down to Clinton Rd at P7.
I rode some trails in the watershed there and made my way to the top of Stephens Rd. I skipped the ridge trail and just took the white trail south, which is still pretty technical. At Hank's Pond I took Van Orden Rd over to Union Valley Rd, and then ducked onto some old jeep trails that go down to 23. I scooted across 23, crossed the railroad bridge, and made my way down the west side of Charlottesburg and Splitrock Reservoirs. I came down Timberbrook to Durham and then cut through Farny to get back to Wildcat.
https://www.strava.com/activities/449778215
I did this first ride back in December. I rode from my house in Parsippany to Speedwell Lake in Morristown, and then I took Patriot's Path out to the West Morris Greenway and into Dickerson Mine. I then went through an industrial park and onto some powerlines and into Canal Park in Wharton. I then made my way over to Berkshire Valley WMA and into Minnisink Park, and then I ducked out through someone's backyard and took the road to Jefferson. Then I cut through Mahlon WMA, down the Snow Bowl, and took the road over to Green Pond Ridge. At that point I was running out of daylight and just winged it making my way down to Wildcat, then Jonathan's Woods, Muriel Hepner, the Tourne, and then road back to my house.
https://www.strava.com/activities/515366675
I did this ride yesterday, starting at the bat cave in Wildcat. Here is a cut and paste of my ride description from the BIYF thread:
I crossed Green Pond and took some trails behind the Hibernia Auto Restoration place and into White Meadow Lake. I skipped the trail here and just took the road over to Mount Hope Historic Park. I cut through there mostly on a rail trail and then hit a little singletrack before taking the trail under 80 and 15 into Wharton. I took the rail trail in Canal Park over to Berkshire Valley Rd, and then a real short road ride into Berkshire WMA. I went up the old railbed and then hopped on the road and crossed 15 in the center of Jefferson and popped into the Mahlon WMA.
I tried to shortcut through some local Lake Shawnee trails from memory, but I screwed it up and came to an impassable river and had to kinda cut through someone's yard to get around it. Then I just took the railbed in Mahlon up to the power lines and down to Glen Rd in Sparta. I crossed onto Ridge Rd and took the power lines and fireroads through Sparta Mountain WMA. I made my way out to Rt 23 and then rode some railroad tracks to some ATV trail to the Harry Cole trail in Stockholm. I was following a GPX file I had that I thought took Harry Cole all the way to Cannistear, but I was wrong and it doubled back toward Stockholm Rd. I then followed another GPX file to make my way back to Cannistear. There was a good amount of busted ATV trails that were pretty damn hard.
I rode up Cannistear a bit and then ducked behind a fence and onto the gas pipeline. The GPX file I was following went off the pipeline and back on it, presumably due to the huge swamp on the pipeline. I didn't find any trail there and just bushwhacked through following the line on my Garmin. I eventually got back to the pipeline and was in Wawayanda. I rode down Pines and then went and did Budda and Thirsty Dog before taking Old Coal down to Clinton Rd at P7.
I rode some trails in the watershed there and made my way to the top of Stephens Rd. I skipped the ridge trail and just took the white trail south, which is still pretty technical. At Hank's Pond I took Van Orden Rd over to Union Valley Rd, and then ducked onto some old jeep trails that go down to 23. I scooted across 23, crossed the railroad bridge, and made my way down the west side of Charlottesburg and Splitrock Reservoirs. I came down Timberbrook to Durham and then cut through Farny to get back to Wildcat.
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