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The Jersey Shore was a major vacation destination for residents of the Delaware Valley region throughout the early 20th century; the Middle Township Bike Path follows a former rail line that once serviced these tourists for 12.9 miles.
About the Route
Cape May’s 13-mile Middle Township Bike Path and 2.7-mile Cold Spring Bike Path were fully connected in the summer of 2017. Riders can begin their journey at US 9/Sandman Boulevard in Lower Township across the street from the local elementary school and ride it just over 11 miles north to the Cape May County Park & Zoo. The trail pairing acts as a backbone for the 16 municipalities that surround it, and future spur trails will connect even more communities and local attractions.
On its southern end, the Middle Township Bike Path leaves off from Erma where there are many idyllic camping areas and wineries to the east and west. Heading north from there, the trail passes through the Rio Grande community. The homes begin to grow scarce as the route enters the woods through Middle Township. Trail users may even run across a bunny or deer as it continues past the Cape May County Park & Zoo. In the spring or summer, trail users can see a beautiful display of wildflowers and butterflies along the trail. Zoo admission is free, as is parking for cars.
Connections
The Middle Township Bike Path, Cold Spring Bike Path, and the Dennis Township Bike Path for a connected 18-mile bike path.
The Middle Township Bike Path runs between the Dennis Township Bike Path (Cape May Courthouse) and the Cold Spring Bike Path (Cape May).
Parking is available at:
Please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
This trail is well maintained & marked but there isn’t much to see as it follows the power lines through no man’s land. However!, the Cape May Zoo was really nice & free!
I was happy to ride this path because it was asphalt. Just wow! The path is so well maintained. The brush is kept trimmed and about 3 ft back from the wide paved path. The mile markers are painted every 10th on the ground. This was such a pleasant ride!!!!
Rode from Sun retreats cape may wildwood. Rode to the Cape May zoo (free to get in, nice break and has food), nice flat ride, not crowded, not a lot of scenery about 20 miles round trip. However a lack of trees for some shade, so I recommend an early morning ride or early evening ride, mid day is very hot. Also, would be nice for some benches along the way. Ride it every time I am down here. Overall I would recommend.
Started at Sun Resorts Seashore and rode on the new extension just a little way past the zoo. I believe the extension connects with the Dennis Township bike path for a grand total of 13 miles.
It is a nice smooth ride but there are a few concerns when crossing some roads on the trail. One, in particular, is where the homeowner along the trails decided to line his property right up to the road with Bamboo. So dense that the vehicles or bikers approaching the crossing have no view of oncoming vehicle traffic or walkers until they are on the very small side lane. Other concerns along the path are a few sharp turns where near SHGC where after heavy rains you can see the runoff of crushed shells or sand where you can easily lose control even during a low-speed turn. Not enough location markers.
Nice bike path leading to Cape May.
No shade and could be very hot on a sunny day. TodY it was high 70’s and lots of wind which made it pleasant. Stopped at Hawk Haven winery along the path but opposite side of the road-dry to semi dry wine choices. Railroad park has a water/bike station a log with port a pits. We linked with the cold spring trail which was a star less than this one and wend to Cold Springs brewery. Total mileage for the two 23+
No shade so on a sunny day probably really would be really hot. Stopped at Hawk Haven winery. Railroad park has water/bike station and port a pots.
Serious bikers need to slow down, please announce yourself. Y'all go way too fast. Then act like the walkers are the problem. Let's share the path kindly!
There is a chunk of the path in the Burleigh/Whitesboro area that has been closed for months for no apparent reason that I can see by looking down the path. Perhaps someone forgot to remove the signs. This forces riders to leave the path or cut their ride short. Without the closure, I’d give it 5 stars.
This is awesome! I start at the very beginning at route 109 in Cape May and go all the way up to where the back entrance of the county park is. GREAT workout and so peaceful!
I got really annoyed a while back trying this before and having to repeatedly switch to roads. Now that it's complete, it is nice. The asphalt is smooth for riding and all is nice. (I only did the southern tip to near stone harbor.)
Just updating the info for this trail, it is now open end to end. Enjoy.
We started at the Cape May Zoo (north end of the path). The path consists of an asphalt strip, straight as an arrow in a 60' wide clearing filled with dead vegetation and between 2 rows of high voltage utility poles. The path was closed 2 miles in and we were forced to detour along busy Route 9. After we found our way back to the path, it was closed again a mile farther South. It was the same story - closed for construction with no Detour signs. We gave up at that point. Maybe someday the path will be re-opened and it will have nice plantings. But for now - go elsewhere.
Rode this a few days ago (Fri 8/21) and encountered closure at Goshen Road. Was turned back by a worker. Heavy equipment (crane or drilling?) present. Told completion end October.
Rode again Sun and barrier extended across the path to the grass on both sides. I didnt bother to see if I could portage across the work zone.
Nice well-paved trail. Pretty quiet. Not heavily used. Users polite. Everyone moves over on their side. Dog owners choke up on the leash on approach. Good for birdwatching as well w lots of woods in the upper portion.
The trail goes all the way to Cape May. At the very end of the trail, cross the busy intersection (they are nice to bikes) and go left towards the bridge. There are bikes lanes on both sides. 2 miles in is the beach. Great ride. 30 miles there and back if you do the full trail to the beach.
I skates about two thirds of it starting at the zoo. The asphalt wasn't great at the start but it quickly became smooth. A few crossings at the start too but then there are decent length sections without any. It's mostly not along a road, which is nice too.
Fully paved, very little traffic. Very flat as well. Only down side is very little air movement so it ended up being quite humid.
In August 2019, I took the ferry to Lewes, DE. On the way back, I biked from the ferry to the CM Zoo. The bike path was well-maintained. The Cold Spring path had a lot of shade, which was wonderful on a 80F day. But once I hit the Middle Township bike path, I couldn’t find any shade at all. It was hot! Otherwise, it was a great and safe ride. I would do it again.
Being under electric lines, it's great that the trail isnt mown, rather its left to natural vegetation, which, along with the forest often present, is A-1 South Jersey amazing.
This is a great route for biking from points west to southern Cape May County, the alternatives being various and not always hospitable. The new section enables biking to Wildwood and Cape May. Conversely, this path enables day or 1 night trips to Denisville, Estelle Manor, and other serene spots and State Parks as a break from the beach.
Rode up from Cape May for the first time this year. After leaving town I got on the Cold Spring Bike Path and then steeled my nerves for the 2+ miles one has (had) to take on Rt 109/9 to connect to the MTBP. After about a half mile on the road after CSBP, a new asphalt bike path magically appeared. There were signs saying the path was closed but it looked done so I took a chance and voila, despite the signage, the new section completely connects to the beginning (now the middle of the MTBP). This really made my day. Now it is about 3 miles of path on the Cold Spring Trail, 3/4 mile on rt 109 (with a wide shoulder), then 6.75 so on this trail, plus, at the north end, there is another bike trail for about a mile to the big rec complex. Almost 11 miles of safe biking!
Great bike path that now extends south of Satt blvd eventually to link with Cold Spring path. Very smooth with just a coupe of road intersections.
The trail is mostly straight. The scenery is okay. The minor setback is, in some areas there are to many intersections. You must be careful. The trail is a bit longer than listed. It is about 7 miles long. They are currently working to complete the final leg of the trail. This will run from the zoo to the Cape May Ferry.
The trail now goes further south then mapped. :) paved and all
Trail was extended from Indian Trail Rd to Main St in 2014. It is in good shape and is heavily used. Funding is secured to pave the next section to Satt Boulevard at the Lower/Middle Township line. The final mile down to connect with the Cold Spring Bike Path is being planned by Lower Township.
I walk a portion of this bike path daily! The part specifically between Hand Avenue and Dias Creek Road is in need of some maintenance and a good through picking up! It is trash strewn and dog feces is everywhere. The homeowners along the path have cleared for installing of fence, etc. and left huge piles of vegetation in piles on the bike path side of fences, corn stalks, dead plants and other trash are in piles long the path that meet with the intersecting roads, where lawn mowing has occurred last year, there are shredded up cans just waiting for someone to fall and get injured, trash from adjoining businesses (Muscle World and Osbourne's Furniture warehouse) remains unattended, there are no bags for dog waste or trashcans to contain the trash that is picked up! This is indeed a sorry mess! The bike path is and can be a huge attraction for the township but the condition of the present path is not acceptable and needs to be dealt with ASAP. With spring will be additional users of the path and we need to ensure that the path is safe and maintained in a sanitary manner.
This path has been added to, it now runs from Indian Trail Road all the way to the Zoo. It is paved and ready to ride :-) Can someone please update the mileage of the course?
Nicely paved. Rural. Great connection between the ever-popular Cape May County Zoo & the heart of Cape May Court House.
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