Places To Ride

  • D&R Canal
    Winds from Johnson Park in New Brunswick, south to Princeton and beyond. Many access points. About 33 contiguous miles of flat, easy riding. The section near Zaraphath has lots of tree roots; the rest of it is mostly-smooth hard-pack, fast and flat.

  • D&R Feeder Canal and Washington Crossing Park
    Stretches along the NJ shore of the Delaware River, between Stockton and Washington Crossing. Many miles of easy, flat riding. Similar to the main canal (above).

  • Sourland Mountain Preserve
    Central NJ, 2 miles West of Belle Mead (off US 206) on East Mountain Rd. This is a fairly new park, run by the Somerset County Park Commission (908-722-1200). It has about 5 miles of multi-use single-track, much of it very technical and rocky. And a long stretch of gas pipeline right-of-way, with one killer hill. This area is best avoided in the spring, when it is very wet and muddy.

  • Clayton Park
    Central NJ, A stone's throw South of Imlaystown (Exit 11 off I-195). There are probably about 8 miles of trails here. There are two main loops forming a nearly-6-mile-long figure-8 course, with a handful of trails crossing through the middle. A fair number of small hills, some log-crossings. My favorite place to ride - I find it easy enough to be fun, but tough enough (especially if you go fast) to be a great workout! Gets very crowded with bicyclists on the weekends.

  • Mercer County Park
    Central NJ, off Old Trenton Rd, a couple miles east of Route 1. Hey, it's central NJ, so you know it's gotta be flat. But there's some nice winding single track around the lake, with lots of fallen logs. From the boat launch, take either the paved walkway or dirt single track, in either direction along the shore. There are plenty of side-trails to choose from, including some mercilessly tight and twisty ones that seem to go on forever.

  • Round Valley Reservoir
    Central NJ, off Route US 22, near Lebanon. Some killer territory here! Be prepared!

  • Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
    Morris County, NJ, off Route US 15, a few miles north of I-80. Some really lovely riding here. I've only been a couple of times, but everybody raves about it. Hills, rocks, mud, single-track, fire-roads, you name it. Perhaps the best riding in NJ.

  • Ringwood State Park
    Northern NJ, right along the NY border. Home of a series of mountain bike races. The race course is about 6.5 miles long, with plenty of rocks and some challenging uphill work.

  • Allaire State Park
    Central NJ, just off the Parkway. I went to a race here near the end of the '95 season. I'll definitely be going back. It's a multi-use area, and the trails are narrow, so you have to watch out for other folks. But it's fun riding. Mostly easy hills. Sandy terrain. Fast and furious fun.

  • Jim Thorpe, PA
    Just off the NE Extension of the PA Turnpike. Lots of good trails in the area, from beginner to advanced. For easy touring, try the Lehigh River Gorge Rail Trail. For hard stuff, pick a fire break running up to one of the ridges. Ask at the bike store in town for maps. The campground at Mauch Chunk Lake is right on the Switchback Trail, another popular ride.

  • Bearpen Mtn, NY
    Somewhere along the western edge of the Catskill mountains in NY, is Bearpen Mountain. It is one of the 35, 3500+ ft high mtns in the Catskills. My friends and I have both hiked and ridden this peak, and it's fun either way! Some fairly steep spots, but pretty smooth and rideable all the way up.

  • Alpena, MI
    If you're ever in northern lower Michigan, and looking for a fun place to ride, consider the Devils Lake snowmobile trail in Alpena. Access is off of Werth Rd, a few miles from US23. This area is beautiful and wild, and though the terrain is quite flat, it's also challengingly sandy. The western loop of the Devils Lake trail varies from ripping-fast hard-pack to virtually impossible sand pits (mostly the former), and covers about 12 miles along quiet lakeshore and through undisturbed woodlands. Lovely!

  • Mt Snow, VT
    Dover, Vermont. For a real kick-ass amazing weekend trip, take your bike up to Mt Snow, an easy 5 hour drive north from NYC. Big killer hillclimbs, big screaming downhills, awesomely tortured little single-track trails through the trees. Lots o' fun. There are many nice B&B's to stay at in Dover. Ask me for recommendations.
    • Me: Kevin R. Perry
    Homepage: www.princeton.edu/~perry
    Email: <perry@princeton.edu>