My TrailLink

Bayshore Trail (Henry Hudson Trail)
Can take this to the tip of Sandy Hook for a nice 18 mile round trip ride

So last fall there was a landslide that wiped out one of the trestles, but it was fixed in June (you can see the piles of mud on the upslope side). This is a pretty ride along the bay. However, if you are willing to go about 1/2 mile on a not-too-busy street, you can cross the bridge to Sandy Hook (there is a wide sidewalk and also a bike path). From there you can take a bike/walking trail to the very top of Sandy Hook. The lower half is open, but as you get further north you pass through groves of trees (with birds just chirping away). This is one of my family's favorite rides.

In the summer there is a farmers market in a park just off the street between the trail and the bridge, where we often pick up fresh Jersey Produce.

Paulinskill Valley Trail
Hurricane Irene took a toll, but trail still open

Sat Sept 3, 2011, I rode the trail from Warbasse Junction to Portland, PA - almost 60 miles round trip. It's a bit depressing that not a single other person has posted information since my report of July 2010 - maybe no one on this site ever uses this wonderful trail.

Anyway, as of Sept 3rd the trail has sustained a lot of damage from Irene but is still open. I was bound and determined to get to Portland PA - that is, to ride the trail to the end, then take the Columbia access piece to get to Columbia NJ, then over the pedestrian bridge to PA.

The trail is suffering from washouts - the thin gravel veneer has washed off, or worse, gotten into soft piles that make it hard to bike across. Then, there must be 30 downed trees - do not underestimate the effort to over come these. Then many cuts and otherwise are covered in either water or mud.

That said, I did make the whole trail and back. The last mile to Brugler road was just horrible. About 100 feet of the trail was overgrown with huge weeds - I had to carry my bike over this section. But what waited was worse: about 200 feet of stream - the trail was completely underwater so I had to push my bike through this fecund odiferous water.

At the end - GREAT NEWS - the owner of the private road taking you to Brugler Road has remove the "Private" sign: there is a road gate on the South side, but you take the road to the West to get to Brugler. There is also a gate there but all the "Private" signs are gone!

From there road through Columbia Management Area to Rte 46, then over to PA. I rode back on Rte 94 to Station Road.

I met several groups of equestrians - had some nice chit chat with them. The trail is in much better shape the closer to Blairstown you are.

Again, this is a great trail and if you have not ridden it and you live in NJ your loss.

Henry Hudson Trail
Northern Higlands section to Sandy Hook lighthouse makes a nice 10m ride

My wife and I have traveled several times now from the Sandy Hook lighthouse down the trail in Gateway National Park, crossed the bridge (bike lane and wide sidewalks available) and taken around 4 miles of the eastern HH Trail. As the last review mentioned, much of this trail is placed right on the water - you can hear the bay lap against the stone and you get great vistas. We ride up to a marina where the trail veers to the South. This makes for a nice two hour ride.

There is one section between the bridge and the trail where you must travel on Shore Drive, but its lightly traveled and there is a dedicated bike lane for parts of it.

Sussex Branch Trail
Trail much improved - second trip end to end

First rode this trail end to end last year (see earlier post). The section proceeding North from Waterloo Road is well maintained and is perfectly family friendly for the 3 miles to Cranberry Lake. From there to Andover, the trail is rough and in a few small sections its narrow, bumpy, and not family friendly. That said, yesterday I saw at least 3 couples doing proceeding South on it. In Andover you must take a road detour (albeit a lightly traveled road) before you can get back onto the North section. Everything is just fine and dandy til you pass through Lafayette Mill and cross Hampton Cross Road. From then on the trail is much less maintained with large loose ballast, huge mud puddles, and roots.

Overall this is a great day trip - it took me 5 hours to do the 40 miles up and back. Many gorgeous areas to see, and the route offers varied terrain. Also, its not flat - there is at most a 2 % grade - so you get more of a workout than you would on say the D&R canal.

As the last poster said, this is not a trail for inexperienced rider - you should have a mountain bike with fat knobby tires. That said, if you stay within the two state parks the trail is very even and perfectly for families.

I twittered my journey yesterday with photos and mile markers if interested in more details.

D & L Trail - Delaware Canal Towpath
Nice ride if you avoid the damaged sections

I rode the trail from Easton to Lumberville on July 9th. The section from Easton to Wy Hit Tuk Park Trailhead is in horrible condition, and in one section the trail is completely washed out and cannot be crossed even on foot - so take the road (S Delaware Drive). From Wy Hit Tuk Park south the trail is in pretty good shape. Just before Lumberville there is 100 feet or so of washout, but you can walk your bike across it no problem. If you see my post from May, the trail from Lumberville to Centerville was already in bad condition and may now be even worse. Do what I did and take the footbridge over to the D&R Canal Path in Jersey. Other than these sections the ride was nice with very pretty and varying scenery.

New Yorkers note: there is a bus from Manhattan to Easton (Susquehanna Trailways) that arrives in Easton at 10AM (I took it from Somerville NJ). You can ride the trail 50 miles south to Trenton, and take a NJ transit train back to Manhattan (I took it to New Brunswick). [The bus goes to Jim Thorpe so could make a day of it there too!]

McDade Recreational Trail
Pretty but a bit more challenging ride

I tripped on this trail while poking around Google Maps, and its a great find! I took the trail from its southernmost point at Hialeah Landing up to the Bushkill Landing on one Saturday, then from Bushkill to the road to Dingman's Bridge.

There are a few hills at the start of the tail, then a big one between Owen's Landing and Bushkill, then its mostly flat or minor hills to the end of the biking section. Note: at Owen's Landing you hit a fork where hikers go straight and you must go right (on a road). A hundred feet up the road is a marked parking lot that you MUST enter to get on the trail again (ask me how I know this - 5 miles north to a dead end). At the top of the hill, you must get on the road for a few tens of a mile to get back on the trail.

This trail has varied terrain; some in deep forests, some skirting fields, some skirting the river. The hills give you a better workout than a pure rail trail does (some of the trail follows an old wagon road from many years ago).

Bikers can go about 24 miles before the trail turns into a hiker-only section, and hikers can go over 30 miles. I made the excursion to Dingman's Bridge so I could cross over to NJ - it's half a mile on a road with no shoulder to speak of - but not much traffic either.

The trail has a consistent crushed gravel surface - the first Saturday I was on road tires (1.65x26) and had no trouble. Several rest areas and one general store provide creature comforts.

D & L Trail - Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail
Third time's the charm!

My wife and I rode the trail July 2, her second my third trip. As always, it was a wonderful experience - the surface of the trail is excellent - fine crushed stone, the views of the river priceless, and the sight of sunlight filtering through the overhead trees provides a wonderful mosaic on the trail and surroundings.

We took the Blue Mountain Sports 10AM shuttle to White Haven, and having gotten a rave review from the owner, stocked up on lunch at Renee's Cold Cut Hut on Berwick, then rode the 25 miles south. It was so beautiful it almost hurts the eyes. A nice place to eat lunch is at the waterfall just north of the Rockport junction, so we grabbed the end of the picnic table there and watched the waterfall while eating.

This trip there were not rafters! Surprised, I asked a park ranger who told me the rafters need a release of water at a dam upstream, and none was scheduled this weekend. I guess the moral of this story is, if you want peace and tranquility, do the ride on a week with no release. If you prefer the loud raucous noise of hundreds of people having a great ride on the river, then choose a release date (both have merit in MHO).

PLEASE: if at all possible, do the whole ride, not the 15 mile Rockport ride. The first 15 miles of the trail south of White Have are tree covered and offer the best views. The last 10 miles of the trail are open, further from the river, and follow a real working rail road. When you take the Rockport trailhead, you only get 5 miles of the prettiest scenery. Remember that the trail has a 2% grade (down) from White Haven, and the surface is the best gravel surface I've ever ridden on.

Note: Traillink has yet to indicate that the trail goes all the way into town, which is surely does.

SIDE ATTRACTIONS:

Glen Onoko falls (hiking)

While there are lots of information on the falls itself, there is scant information on how to reach the falls. My wife and I hiked the "primary" trail which goes under the two bridges, the follows the gorge up. This trail is dangerous and steep - over loose stones and quite steep. I would estimate that it takes at least 45 minutes, perhaps an hour, to reach the falls this way. We got half way up and turned around.

A local told us on the way back that there is a second trail that is much easier to use, and loops around on the east side of the stream. We did see it on the way down. To reach it, from the parking lot make the right turn at the big warning sign, go under the two bridges, and bear right following the orange tape/blazes. Around 100 yards up the trail (and while still on the dirt portion) you will see off to the right what looks like a trail.

At this time there is a huge fallen tree across this trail, which makes one think its closed - or that the tree was put there intentionally. Looking closer, you can actually see a blaze mark on a big tree to the right of this side trail - which leads one to believe this was a sanctioned means to reach the top. [We will try this next trip, but it won't be for months.]

Asa Packer house.

I discovered this by reading an earlier review on this site. The house was quite interesting - its essentially a 1800s house preserved not restored. The tour was well worth it, and the story of Asa Packer perhaps even more interesting. Now I want to learn more about this remarkable man.

Every time I make this trip, I just keep telling myself - it doesn't get any better!

Plainfield Township Trail
Pretty but short

I usually prefer long bike rides, but my trip last month was well worth it (I was in the area so took a ride). I parked at the south end and proceeded to the quarry. The trail is in excellent condition until you get to the unmarked road at about mile 5.75. From there its about 0.75 miles to the quarry - you can see the trail narrow and proceed to the right - but I didn't follow it as I was running out of time.

There had been a heavy rain a few days before, and the creeks were all babbling and very pretty!

D & L Trail - Delaware Canal Towpath
Sadly lots of flood damage in Winter of 2010-2011

You can read my review from October last year, where the trail was a wonder to ride. Well, lots of flood damage over the winter and Spring. My wife and I rode from the Bulls Island bridge a bit North, then south to New Hope. Some sections you had to walk the bike the surface was so bad.

No idea of condition north of Bulls Island or South of New Hope.

Based on what I saw, there really is no way to get the PA side to last - its just too low. They would have to so much work to protect the path that I imagine they never can do it.

I fell so lucky to have seen the path at its very best last October.

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail
Looping trip

I parked in the South Bound Brook parking lot, the rode to just south of the Rte 1 overpass to the Hamilton NJ Transit location, took a train to New Brunswick, then rode back to Bound Brook - 37 miles. The trail has been resurfaced with a crushed red stone (slate?) that makes for a really nice smooth ride from New Brunswick to mile marker 18. Even going south on the older surface was not bad - the condition varied from good to very good.

I found a nice Deli on Market Street in East Millstone, just south of Amwell Ave (a 2 min bike ride off the trail). South of Bound Brook, this is the most convenient place I've found for food and drink.

I had heard that the trail condition south of Princeton was not so great, but it was not bad and some nice scenery (my first time South of Princeton).

If you like Indian food, there is a fantastic restaurant Hoysala at the north-westcorner of the Easton Ave / JFK Parkway intersection. There is a bridge about a mile north of that intersection that allows you to cross the canal. [There is a diner there also, on the eastern side.]

The New Jersey Transit connections make this ride do-able from NYC or really anywhere you can get to NJ Transit, and you could do either or both sections (the Bound-Brook to New Brunswick ride took me about an hour as it took a while for me to get to the trail from the station.

D & L Trail - Delaware Canal Towpath
Makes the perfect all day ride! One way options too...

Rode from Easton to Trenton (approx 50 miles) Oct 23 2010. I took an early AM Susquehanna/Trailways bus from Somerville NJ (originates from NYC) that arrives in Easton 9:30AM. Trail is only a few blocks away. The rivers are especially pretty in the AM so snapped some pics, then took off South. For much of the ride, the path straddles a strip of land with the Delaware river to the East and the canal to the west. The surface varies from good to very good to excellent, and generally improves as you go South. The Northern most section is blue crushed gravel varying from pea to grape size - I had knobbed tires but imagine you could do the whole trail with smooth narrow tires too.

As you can imagine, the trees were in full color and the scenery was just stunning the whole trip. I took food and drink with me, but observed many stores and restaurants along the way. There are numerous rest stations, and every stop had a box stuffed with a newly produced brochure/map (which I hope you could find online).

I stopped in New Hope for a coffee (town was packed with people!) then continued on. The northern section is more secluded and less traveled - South of New Hope you see more houses and people. Also, the trail hugs the river more in the North - you often go miles without seeing it.

I took the Bridge Street bridge over the river, then Market street to the NJ Transit station. From there you can take Amtrack or NJ Transit to many places (like NYC) - I went to Newark then back to Somerville.

I was most happy to have found a way to do this "one way" - anyone from NYC could do the same. I concur with earlier reports - overall the NJ trail is probably a better ride but the view in PA is much better.

PS: From Easton there is another trail options - you can take the Delaware and Leigh trail to Allentown and back - I did this last summer. That trail terminates at the start of the canal path. There is a return bus in the PM too.

D&H Rail Trail
More info

Well, it seems that the photo numbering I spent so much time on was lost in the upload. Sigh. Sorry, guess for now you just have to figure it out (email to r2t already sent).

I did get this from the people who support this trail:

1. the D&H extends south of the crossroads --one mile which we do not own, and has 3 unimproved RR bridges. The next mile we own, then an unknown small section into where the D&H Carbondale yards/roundhouse was. We are partnering with LHVA to figure out these sections & link up to Carbondale.

2. There are another 6+ miles north of Stevens Point. Go across the SR bridge & get back on the trail. Goes under the awesome Starrucca Viaduct to NY border (along Susquehanna River). Another group bought the NY D&H to Ninevah --will hopefully work with them for an interstate trail. We also own one mile spur that takes you up to the active rail at the Starrucca Viaduct.

D&H Rail Trail
More info

D&H Rail Trail
Forest City to Stevens Point - 28 August 2010

Unsure if the trail was improved to Simpson, I looked in vain for a road to "Crossroads" but none exists, so continued on to Forest City. Started North at 10:30 AM after a 2+ hour drive (see photo ending with 000). The path is quite wide and sunny, and the surface is excellent. Path crosses a few streams (001,002) and was canopied in a few places (003). Pass a huge reservoir (004) that was a prettier scene than the photo suggests. Continuing towards Union Dale, same surface and views (005). The Union Dale General Store use to offer food and beverages, but its now houses a Rail Trail organization (thus no food/water in town). Proceeding North, you now see grass growing in the center of the trail, but surface is still very good (006).

North of Herrick Center, the road turns into cinders and gravel, and the condition varies mile by mile (007,008). The view opens into the valley, and you get some gorgeous views of bucolic PA (009, 010). The rail bed crosses between two lakes coming into Ararat (a map location, not a town), which happens to be the highest trail location. Path starts looking more like a NJ rail trail with close growing trees and weeds (012). Travel through a cool and shady cut (013) before coming to a wet and very rock section North of Ararat.

Finally, civilization in the very pretty town of Thompson. Your first view is of an ice cream store right non the trail, in what must have been the train station (015). Inquiring about food, was routed to the Hobbs Country Mart (down to the right, 016). Stocked up with a sandwich ($5) and fresh cut cantaloup ($1.37!), and set out North. Thompson is exactly 20 miles from Forest City - Stevens Point is another 10.

There must have been a massive bridge crossing a stream valley and Bucks Fall Road - you now must descend and ascend steep rocky slopes to continue (017) [going north, the best trail is the the third trail going West on the road]. I stopped at the stream - it was gurgling and the smell of pine was overwhelming - I could have stayed there for hours!

More beautiful valley views on the road to Stevens Point - the camera does not do it justice (019). I saw my first mile marker at 27 and even photographed it - on the way back I saw more but they sure were hard to find (020). Five more miles!

When the trail runs into a paved and divided highway, you've arrived at Stevens Point. I knew for sure when I saw a sign to the cemetery! The trail crosses the road, then merges back onto it to cross State Route 1009 (021). I was running out of time, so had to turn around. Google maps makes it appear the trail goes for another 1/2 mile, not sure.

Going back resulted in an unpleasant discovery - I had been going down hill for the past 15 miles, something that had just not registered. In fact, I had gone up 500 feet, then down 900. The road condition just made the return trip all the much harder. I didn't have a road map or smart phone with me, but did gamble (and win) by picking up the State Route 1003 (signed Burnwood Rd) and taking it till it became Creek Rd. Looking at google maps now, I realize I could have taken it to Herrick Center. In fact, with good maps you probably could road back from Stevens Point to Herrick Center. Amazingly, each leg took me 3:45.

On the road to Thompson, there is a valley that must have had a train bridge (022). In Thompson, the girl at the Ice Cream store graciously refilled my water bottle, and I headed home saying goodbye to Thompson (023).

Just to see how bad the Stevens Pt - Ararat climb was, I used google maps to get approximate elevations:

1150 Simpson
1520 Forest City
1600 Stillwater Lake
1680 Union Dale
1760 Herrick center
2050 Ararat Road Crossing [State Route 1003]
1700 Thompson
1450 Starrucca
1120 Stevens Point

E-Mail the Rail-Trail Council of NE PA at trails@nep.net and request a brochure - they'll send one out by snail mail ASAP.

Finally, my rating. Well, I just took the D&L trail from White Haven to Jim Thorpe, which has dazzling views. Much of this trail has no summer views - the tree foliage blocks everything, but the views I did get were often gorgeous. The unfinished road north of Herrick Center could get unpleasant - large stones or sections of soft find cinder were not fun to ride, especially on the return uphill trip. Several ATVs and motorcycles on the trail (guess they figured the prohibition on such doesn't apply to them).

Going from Forest City to Thompson would be a good compromise - a 40 mile round trip, and who could pass up an ice cream store right on the trail!

D & L Trail - Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail
Does not get any better!

The trail from White Haven to Jim Thorpe is in excellent condition - well packed and very find gravel - wide and level. You should be able to ride this with even skinny road tires. Then, the views - again, it doesn't get much better - the river, occasional water falls, forest, and the gorge.

Absolutely no technical challenge - just a nice ride with great views. I took a shuttle to White Haven, and Steve our driver said that in the fall the color is unbelievable. I'll be back then!

D & L Trail - Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail
Did the 10 miles north of White Haven

The northern section starts of bad, and just gets worse. While pretty, the trail itself beings with enough loose ballast that you cannot do more than 7-8 MPH. Once past Moosehead Lake (about 5 miles), the trail has been covered with loose ballast I assume to prevent erosion. Its nearly impossible to ride on, and my speed was around 5 MPH at best.

Byt the time I got to Glen Summit (the end of the trail) I was exhausted, and chose to ride back on RTE 437 (quite hilly - in hind sight taking Tunnel Rd would probably have been a better bet).

D & L Trail - Lehigh Canal South
Nice trail but no blazes or signs

Had a nice Saturday. Parked in Easton at Hugh Moore Park (where the D&L meets the Delaware Tow Path). The trails starts out asphalt and apparently ends at Hill Rd (one lane bridge to your right, park straight on). Go over the bridge and turn left - go about 1/4 mile on Leigh Drive (sparely traveled). DO NOT GO STRAIGHT INTO THE PARK - that path dead ends (ask me how I know this). After the road dog-legs go to the left. TAKE A GOOD LOOK AROUND - on the return you do NOT want to go straight across Leigh Dr as I did, and get lost, like I did!)

The trail is now a combo of D&L and Palmer Township. At one point I went right, following the Palmer trail by mistake. If you go through an arch and see a steep include, you are doing what I did! Continue on straight instead.

At one point there is a pedestrian bridge on the left to an island - you can take that now for a diversion or pick it up about a 1/2 mile further on when returning (I missed it). You can get food/drink in Bethlehem - perhaps in other small towns on the way.

Once out of Palmer township the trail becomes dirt and fine gravel - condition was very good. When in Bethlehem, the trail was marked as closed due to a music fair (other rider told me this happens every year, just go through the gate when no one is around. No apparent reason for the gate either.

During the last mile you pass a large railroad yard - it was interesting. You can also see what I assume is an old steel mill - sad reminder of our manufacturing past. There were some river views - but mostly brush obscures it - I imagine that early spring or late fall would provide better views.

Sadly there are virtually no markers or blazes - I got lost three times as mentioned above. My odometer was at 41 miles when I got back to my car - it should be about 19 miles each way.

I had a nice day, met a few people on the trail, and enjoyed my day. I'm sure others will enjoy this trail too!

Perkiomen Trail
Pleasant Day going end-to-end (mostly)

First, on directions - from the PA Turnpike, there are signs for Valley Forge but no mention of Rte422. Once off you will see signs but be diligent - the connections there are very confusing. Got on 422 north - at one point it is obviously going through the park (green all around, no exits). Then, an exit but no sign for Egypt Rd - I guessed right (whew!), first right to the huge parking lot!

Took the trail from there to Green Lane Park/Snyder Road Trailhead. At that point, all signs for Perkiomen disappear - there were roads, and a trail to the west. We decided to just turn around rather than ride on streets or hope the trail went somewhere (would be nice in the future if someone would document final trail route).

The trail is wide and overall condition was very good to excellent - small crushed stone or asphalt. Signage was excellent (I just wish I had gotten the contract to provide the plethora of "Do Not Leave the Trail" signs). Road crossings had marked crosswalks or lights.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, so many people were on the trail it was hard to ride abreast for long. Once past Schwenksville, the traffic dropped markedly. An update on the "mountain" pass north of there - yeah, its steep! The Spring Mt Rd bridge is still out (and will be out for some time!). On the return, I had hoped to take the road bypass mentioned earlier, but goofed. I **believe** the way to bypass the mountain is to use Main Street and Spring Mountain Rd (east of the river) then pick up the trail on the west side of the river (I believe the Perkiomen Path bridge is still open but do not know this for a fact). Thus, on the return, you would ignore the "Spring Mt Rd is closed" sign and continue on the trail south.

There is an earlier mention of an Ice Cream store on the trail at Schwenksville - well, it has food too - and there is a mini-mart at the gas station to the north. Lots of places to east in Collegeville too.

We had a really nice time - the trail offers varied scenery, and is well maintained.

David

Stolen biline: "Ride a trail, write a report"

Black River Wildlife Management Area Trail
Nice Ride on traditional trail - other options for the adventurous!

Parked at Hillside in Chester, rode the trail to the end (suburbia) and back. I would rate maintenance as "very good" a few fallen trees but the cinder was in good shape. Nice traditional rail-trail scenery. Was glad to have doused myself with bug repellent - while riding I thought "what bugs" then when stopping for water they surely appeared! Some one else posted there was no view of the river - hah! There is - the "river" is the swamp to the north!

To add some adventure to this trail:

1) take the the side trail up to the right as suggested by Christopher Mac Kinnon (Mountain Biking in NJ book) - added a bit more adventure to the journey. Climbed in gear 1 (of 21) and steep descent.

2) traverse the "western" side of Black River - off 206. Only parking I could find was at the "Hunter Park" lot at the intersection of Furnace Rd and Tanners Brook Rd. From there I went back down Furnace - east - til I saw the first Patriots Path sign. Enter here and the path takes you west to Tanners Brook Rd. Exit, turn right, and follow it til the end (lightly traveled). Turn right at the end, and finally get to Rte 206. QuickCheck there has water etc. South on 206 over the Black River - and right at Patriots Path sign. The trail meanders then takes you back to Furnace Rd. Right to the parking lot. Patriots Path is not continuous through the WMA - it uses the road for say 1/2 mile (contrary to the official PP map). This portion is definitely bikable but for the intermediate rider. Pretty and terrain and path not over used.

You could park at QuickCheck or nearby and do the same circle route. Part of the trail in the western section uses an old Rail Trail embankment (google maps shows you the old rail line). I really enjoyed this small remote trail and was glad in the end I had done it.

Paulinskill Valley Trail
End to End - What a Treasure!

I rode the trail end to end in two days, July 16/17 2010. I posted previously about connecting to PA over the pedestrian bridge (designated portion of the Liberty Trail). As others have said, the trail is best maintained in the Blairstown area, and is less maintained at the fringes. That said, I loved the western most section (which ends at a private lane now) - there are some ruins and a junction with the LNE line (it's on private land unfortunately) - but I just had to get to the bitter end!

Blairstown is a great place to get lunch - across from the footbridge is a pizaa/sub place, and a German deli to the left, other side of the diner. As someone else said, there is horse plop on the trail mostly near Blairstown. The parking lot there is huge, and you see lots of horse trailers, so yeah, gets lots of horse traffic there. I did not find it overbearing and will do this trail again.

Each section - bounded by roads - seems to have a different character. I absolutely loved the look of the section between Sunset Inn Limecrest Rd to CO 623 (google maps doesn't even show this as open!). At the end of this section, at CO623, the trail apparently disappears - but there is a "Bridge Out" sign across the street. Diehards can pick the trail up there - is heavily overgrown (now) but you can make it to the Sparta Junction if you persevere (I have the thorn scratches on arms and legs to prove I made it!). Just as you get there, again, the trail seems to have ended - trees and brush blocking it. But a trail goes off to the left, and you can circumvent the trees to get to the end.

Finally, I've done the whole D&R Canal trail, and while I enjoy it, I found the Paulinskill trail a better visual experience. There are little white signs over the whole length of the trail with tidbits of info - they add a nice touch (I assume the Paulinskill Valley Trail Association did this work).

I would highly recommend this trail to anyone! If you are willing to ride a bit on roads, you could easily do Blairstown to Portland PA and back as a nice day trip!

Paulinskill Valley Trail
Trail DOES Connect to PA (*)

I never did find anything online that describes the connecting information below. Suggest you also use Google maps to follow. Note the "*" - small sections on roads.

Proceeding west, the trail drops you at Station Road, and to continue you need to get to the Columbia Wildlife Area off Warrington Road. Currently there's a problem (the '*'): the trail DOES continue on towards Brugler road, but stops short - about 700 feet short (according to park official I talked with). What I heard is that the prior owner use to permit the use of a "farm lane" where the trail ends, to permit access to Brugler. The current owner does not currently permit usage (complex negotiations which may produce a nice outcome in the future). In any case, I wanted to go end to end, so I did take the last section of trail - it's not maintained (but passable) - and you end at the "farm road" with a chain across the path. Rumor has it that you will get an earful if caught on the "farm road" but the current owner. At Brugler, the farm road entrance is slapped all over with PRIVATE signs.

Thus, to continue to the Delaware, you must either:
- turn right on Station Road, proceed to Rte 94, take it west to Brugler, then right at Warrington - Columbia will be just a bit down on the left

- left on Station Road, right on Vail, right on Warrington. This router is much longer and involves climbing some large hills.

When you get to Columbia, follow the gravel road south, through a tunnel under I-80, till it ends at the top of the dam (this road was the old real bed). Proceed into the woods on a trail - about 100 feet in it apparently ends (fallen trees and heavy brush block forward movement - I tried!).

At this point, you will see a trail proceeding down off the embankment - easily bikeable - and it ends on a a lightly used double track trail. On the day I did this (7/17/10) this trail had been recently bulldozed - brush cleared and some small trees too. Continuing on, you skirt the back of a small building and exit onto the shoulder of Route 46. [I have verified with a Columbia WMA official that this trail is all within the WMA and biking is permitted!]

At this point Rte 46 is 4 lanes with a divider, but is not heavily used (so I just walked my bike across). You could go a bit south and cross where there is no divider and the road is narrower.)Once across, you can see the Delaware! Continue north on the shoulder into Columbia. I asked and was told there is no convenience store in town (there is a truck stop north of town), so took the pedestrian bridge over the Delaware into Portland PA. The first thing you see is a huge old RR Terminal building. Past that, on the left, is a diner open 7 days a week. A local told me that he thought the food was pretty good.

Columbia Trail
Can loop between High Bridge and Califon

What a gorgeous trail! Could not agree more with others. My wife and I took the trail this AM going from High Bridge to the "Taylor SteelWorkers Historical Greenway" (on this site) trail, took it to River Road, and biked the road to Califon (read my post on that trail on how to get to River Road). Not a single car passed us - and about 2 miles of the road is currently closed to traffic. You actually get a better view of the Raritan from the road than the trail. Anyway, third trip - and it's nice to have a loop!

Ditto on Califon General Store (really a small deli) for lunch!

Taylor SteelWorkers Historical Greenway
Partial Review - Columbia Trail to River Road

Wife and I took the trail off the Columbia Trail on bikes. The trail is marked with a huge sign, and blazed in yellow. A few feet onto the trail, there is a left spur that takes you to a view of the dam below (worth a visit!). The trail goes right down the hill. The first part was finished and bikable - the lower section had roots and some erosion so wife wanted to walk it. At the bottom you see the steel works building. The trail goes to the left over a refinished bridge. It passes through an easement provided by an existing industrial company. The trail was covered with a thick mulch of chips and small branches - it was bikable but barely. Past the easement the trail turns left, and after a few hundred feet comes to a T intersection - the full trail appears to go right - we went left towards Solitude house.

I had seen two maps of this trail - one has the trail marked with yellow lines overtop a satellite image, the other in red over a map. Both show the trail going around Solitude lake - I found bits of a trail but what I saw was not bikeable. Also, both show a crossing over the dam - but no crossing exists. So, we decided to get onto River Road at Solitude Dam, and proceed north on it. Good choice!We took the road to Califon and returned on the Columbia Trail.

Again, the both trail maps show a crossing at the top of Solitude Lake, and I was looking for one, but never did see anything. There was one spot where it appeared shallow - maybe 6" of water - but I wouldn't ride a bike across. If you did get across, you would not be able to make a loop anyway

Based on what I saw, this trail is really meant for hikers - even though one blurb I read mentioned biking. One nicety is that the connection we took permits one to park at the Columbia Trail head, and get to Califon on River Road, then looping back on the Columbia Trail. During our ride at 10:00Am, not a single car passed us on River Road. Half way to Califon the road become gravel, then it's closed to cars for a mile or two. We arrived at the center of Califon without having had one car overtake us!

Landsdown Trail
Nice ride and connects to Capoolong trail!

Wife and I took this trail on July 6th, then connected to Capoolong (take a google map printout blown up at the junction to be sure you can find it - Capoolong is not well marked at this trailhead.)

The trail passes pretty terrain, and is well maintained. When you combine it with the Capoolong trail, it makes for a nice half day trip!

Kingston Branch Loop Trail
Nice alternative to the D&R trail

I'be been parking at Griggstown and biking 10 miles to Plainsboro, half on the canal, half on bike lanes in the Forrestal Village. Using this on the way home adds some diversity to the ride. Its well maintained - in fact you could argue the gravel is better for biking than the standard D&R material.

Ironton Rail-Trail
What a nice day, spending it on the Ironton

My wife and I arrived around noon at the trailhead. There is a huge gas station/convenience store just before, stock up on food and water. We did the loop first, then the "tail", then the loop one more time. It was a real pleasure - easy going, lots to see. and just a nice way to spend a day. For the more adventurous, you can cross the 9th street bridge, then go left to get down to the river below. Just below the park there is a dirt bike track that tracks the river (park does not permit bikes) - we went down say 0.5 miles then turned around (too narrow for wife). Posted a bunch of photos.

Patriots' Path
Pretty, interesting, mostly moderately easy trail with two distinct sections.

This trail is often broken up into two sections divided by Whitehead Road. I approached each way from the opposite end.

WEST BOUND.

I parked off E Frederick Pl just north of the Cedars Knoll Mall (parking is at the trailhead, just inside the parking lot of an apparently abandoned building at the end of the road on the right. The trail apparently goes north towards 287 for another mile or so - it was chained off. Someone who took that section told me there is a harzardous waste site on the west side of the trail. Going South, you pass through the north section of Frelinghuysen Park - pretty. You then come to an access road, cross the street, get on an access road to the Morris County Jail. Look for a trail marking that prompts you to climb a hill to the RR track, then follow the track. Cross Ridgedale Ave, and after a bit get dumped into a city park. Cross the park, then turn left when you can on city streets. At Martin Luther King Ave, on the opposite left side, the trail continues but is marked as closed. I was told that the trail does connect but is quite deserted. Take a google map along of this section, going north, to skirt the closed trail. Pick it up at Cory Road (once under the RR bridge its on the south side of Cory. At Speedwell, go S over a bridge, trail is on your right.

This section continues for several miles to Whitehead Road. It get increasingly difficult, going from well maintained to moderately easy (wife complained but did it). At Whitehead, you can take an alternate route back - first a moderately difficult short dirt trail (wife walked bike) that connects to a paved but hilly trail.

Most people just park at Speedwell, I wanted to do the whole trail.

EAST BOUND

Park at the India Brook Park off Mountainside in Mendham for easy trail access. Otherwise you can park off Rte 24 but the section of PP from Rte24 to Ironia Road is offlimits to biking. From India Brook, take the dirt trail south following the river to the intersection with PP. Turn left, going over the stream (concrete pillars to walk across). From there the trail is sometimes double-track but mostly single. I found it moderately easy and fun - you are sandwiched in an old RR right - of - way with private property on either side, yet its still nice. The trail continues on moderately easy til Sunrise Lake - there, you have to climb and descend a steep NJ "mountain" top get to Whitehead road. Feeling good after having done that, I also took the ~1 mile Northern Loop just north of the Sunrise Lake trail intersection.

Even without taking crossing the "mountain", this is a nice ride - more interesting than you would think.

Traction Line Recreation Trail
Start in Morristown, lunch in Madison, combine with Loantaka

Wife and I parked in Morristown, took this trail into Madison, and had lunch at Atlanta Bread (Memorial Day 2010). What we should have done is figured out how to best take roads to the Loantaka Brook park that has many bike trails (http://www.morrisparks.net/aspparks/loantakatr.asp) - combining these would make for a nice days of riding.

There are several trail panels with this trails history - I found it quite interesting (there is a real story to how the right of way was obtained!)

We have biking in Loantaka many years ago, so cannot comment on current conditions, but when we were there it was quite nice.

Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area
Nice interesting trail running next to the Capoolong Creek.

Wife and I had a nice ride on this trail that is mostly narrow single track. Met several horses on our bike ride. The scenery is just beautify, and you can hear the creek babbling as you ride in many places. I found the derelict station at the end quite intriguing. Note: my wife did not rate this trail as easy, due to water erosion that created a narrow trail "channel" in several places. The trail went from better to worse, so if you find the going not to your liking, you can turn around.

We parked in Clinton NJ and took the Landsdown Trail south to the Capoolong trailhead (well, some maps show it as the AT&T right-of-way), which adds another 2 miles one way to the trip. Thus, the combined trails make for a 10+ mile round trip, a nice way to spend a summer afternoon!

Sussex Branch Trail
Trail really goes from South End of Allamuchy to Branchville

Rode the trail from trailhead at Allamuchy to termination Branchville - approx 22 miles - will post photos later. The ride through Allamuchy is easy and well maintained (and pretty!) - in mid summer the light filters through the trees, creating a nice effect, and it was much cooler than out in the sun. At Cranbury lake, the trail gets more difficult - rocky and narrow - but is rideable. A convenience store is across 206 (light). The trail is unmarked but hugs 206, and finally brings you to Kittatinny Park, ending at CO 616. Cross the road, pick up trail again, ending at CO 663. 1.5 miles on the road and you can get back on the trail (just after mile marker 1.0). The trail from there goes un-interrupted to Branchville. This section is less maintained - some gravel, narrower single track in some areas, and a 100 yard bog that was damp with puddles in the middle of a dry spell in July. The trail apparently ends at a point where a bridge is missing - believe this was Mill Rd but not positive. From the road, cross over a bridge going North and get back onto the trail (unmarked). This bit takes you to a blocked steel bridge. Make a clockwise circle from that point to the other side and see a well preserved rail road car that's being used for storage. Had a small lunch then turned around for home. I did the round trip in a bit over 5 hours. There was an ice cream shop (Millside Cafe?) where I got more water, and I did see the Andover Diner (but it appeared closed).

I very much enjoyed this ride - mostly in the shade, lots to see, varied terrain. If its just rained the "bog" near Branchville will be impassible - I met a guy on the trail who had turned around given its current (good) condition!

Boulevard Trolley Line Path
Had a nice hour or so this Spring

My wife and I rode this "trail" in April this year. There is a playground halfway bordering a lake that you can visit. As others have said, its like a big sidewalk - that said we had a nice warmup and it was interesting.

David and Donna