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Weekend Wheeling in New York City
Ringwood State Park (Northern New Jersey)
By Sproule Love, GORP Staff
This way for good biking!
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Although it is only accessible by car, Ringwood is easily the most widely known single-track close to New York City. Like many public lands in the United States, what is now a 4,000-acre state park used to be a stately manor complete with botanical gardens, a vineyard, an orchard, and out-buildings. In its heyday during the first half of the 19th century, this estate was supported by iron ore mining. You may even discover a set of stone ruins along the trail.
The road to the trailhead winds through all of this history, but I found myself thinking more about the single-track that lay ahead and the surprisingly short (only an hour and a half!) drive from Manhattan. Mountain bikers park in Lot C and most of the trails are accessible from there. When you pay the small parking fee at the entrance booth, you receive a free trail map.
Beginning from Lot C, you can follow an eight-mile loop that circumscribes the general mountain biking area in the park. Ringwood's trails are a combination of ancient carriage roads and more-recently-cut single-track extensions and connectors that give the park its labyrinthine reputation. Most of the double-track carriage roads are beginner level, whereas the single-track trails can be a technical challenge when they get rocky or muddy. There are a few very technical sections that demand expert bike-handling skills but are not too long to walk through.
Unlike at Stillwell Woods or Rocky Point, it is easy to get lost on Ringwood's confusing network of poorly marked trails. Ideally you should go with someone who has been there before. If you do get lost, it is not too hard to find your way back to a landmark that will help you find your bearings or the edge of the property. And because of the area's heavy use by both bikers and hikers, you are unlikely to be alone in these woods.
Read more about Ringwood State Park and look at a park map.
| Ringwood Essentials
Getting There
Ringwood is better visited by car — there is no convenient public transportation. Take exit 15A off I-87 (New York State Thruway) and go north on Highway 17 to the Ringwood State Park sign on the right. Turn right here onto Sterling Mine Road and the park is approximately four miles after the turn. Turn onto Morris Avenue, following signs for Shepard Lake. The entrance booth is a couple of miles down Morris Avenue.
Maps
You receive a free trail map when you pay the entrance fee.
Ringwood State Park
Box 1304, Ringwood, NJ 07456
(973) 962-7031
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Article © Sproule Love.
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