rhm

I'm pretty sure I've tried starting threads like this before, but didn't get much traction. So I'll try again.

Question is, is there anyone on this forum who rides in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey?

I want to get to know them better.

The NJ Randonneuring club does some rides that go through that area, but they tend to stick to a couple main roads that are well paved, very straight, and incredibly boring. But the smaller roads are a lot of fun. Some have pretty good pavement:




Some are rather poorly paved:


And the ones that are not paved, well, they can be challenging.

indyfabz

The Pine Barrens covers a vast area. I usually take at least one tour/year down to Belleplain State Forest in Woodbine, NJ. There is some pretty riding down that way, and there are some unpaved roads and trails. The Shore Cycle Club may be able to give you more details. They have a MTB weekend at Belleplain in the spring, although there are obviously no mountains in that part of the world. Also, there is a bike shop in nearby Tuckahoe that runs rides. And while it may not technically be in the Pine Barrens, a ride from Belleplain to East Point Lighthouse and then back through Heislerville Wildlife Management Area (some unpaved riding) is quite nice. Every Memorial Day weekend I lead a ride from Port Elizabeth to East Point to watch for horseshoe crabs mating. Then we go inland, ultimately ending up in Fortescue. Coming back we ride through Mauricetown.

Mauricetown is worth a look if you have never been there. The quiet town is full of sea captain's houses dating back to the 1800s, many of which have been nicely restored. The town used to be the home base of a sail-powered oyster dredging fleet.

Further SW there are some neat roads that take you to tidal wildlife areas like Maple Ave. and Turkey Pt. Rd. near Dividing Creek. Shaw's Mill Rd. east of Shaw's Mill Pond is unpaved and goes through the Edward G. Bevan Fish & Wildlife Management Area.

In short, there is a lot of neat stuff down that way.

rhm

Thanks for that! I will check these places out on the map, and consider what's within range. I don't usually get much farther than Chatsworth, which is already about fifty miles from home, and if I add sand roads into the mix the going can get slow! I've ridden south of the Pines a few times... beautiful area, but a major time commitment.

09box

I wouldn't mind exploring the Pine Barrens sometime. All flat works for me!

NJgreyhead

Also, up in Burlington County there are some nice roads thru the Pines.
Check out this one from Batsto historic village.
Pinelands Ramble in Batsto, NJ, United States | MapMyRide

There are others online, but I can't locate them just now.
If you PM me with an email address, I can send you a cue sheet for a nice Piney 42-miler out of Batsto.

+1 to what indyfabz wrote about the rides 'down Jersey' near the Delaware Bay.

Ride safe.
-NJg

09box

Grey I sent you a pm with my email address.

NJgreyhead

Three cue sheets on their way.
-NJg

indyfabz

As the OP motes, many of the roads are boring. I did the Pinelands Triple Loop ride many years ago. It's an organized event that leaves from Batsto. You can do three loops that add up to a century. After the first two loops I went home out of boredom.

NJgreyhead

Well, yeah, riding the same one road (CR542) in and out of Batsto for three rides in the same day would get old.

But the 42-mile three-rivers ride is a pretty good one, especially the last bit, on Bulltown Road (don't miss the turn; hopefully the homemade sign is still nailed up on the tree), which puts you in true Piney country, off the beaten path.

rhm

Thanks, guys, for all the replies.

What I really wish for is a guide to all the roads. I know I'm asking for more than is available, but there it is.

On Monday I rode down from home, through Trenton, Bordentown, Cookstown, Browns Mills, and got into the sand roads a little north of Whitesbog Village. Here's my route:


The sand roads vary widely, and I never know which ones will be delightful

and which will be hellish:

That last one is Lebanon Road. The bizarre thing is, this road is paved to a point just west of here. Similarly, Carranza Road is paved from Tabernacle all the way down past the Carranza Monument, but then goes to sand; and that sand part is one of the nastiest stretches of washboard I've ever ridden. Why all these half-paved roads? And worse, why no maintenance of the ones that aren't paved? Well, no point in whining about it. I just wish there was a way to know which sand roads are great riding, and which are virtually impassable.

Whatever, it is often beautiful down there:

but you need a bike with pretty fat tires:


I was pretty beat by the time I got home! 112 miles, about 20 of them on sand.

NJgreyhead

Thanks for the pics.

What size are your tires? I tried riding south from Carranza Memorial (a very cool place) toward Hawkins Bridge, but did not get far, alas. That "sugar sand" was just too much for me.

rhm

Those are 2.2" (56mm) tires. They were generally pretty good. I rode all the way from Hawkins Bridge to the Carranza Memorial, but I'm not bragging since I hated it pretty much the whole way. The sugar sand is bad, but the washboard was the real killer. Relentless pounding.

rjdennis

check my strava feed for some good riding in the Pine Barrens, I am Roger Dennis there

scubadad

The Pine Barrens is one of my favorite spots to ride, particularly the Brendan Byrne (Lebanon) Forest. I can ride there from my house, and then spend hours exploring the roads and trails up there. It can be as easy or as challenging as you want it to be. Plus, I like to explore and try to find some of the old abandoned factories/furnaces/bogs/etc... Really interesting stuff if you read up on it a little before going out. Makes some of those "boring" roads a little more interesting. I'm not a big fan of riding on the main roads around here, drivers are just too careless around cyclists, so another (big) plus for me is there is virtually no traffic out there. I'll see the occasional car or pickup slowly driving by, but usually it's just me, my bike, and the pines. Love it!
So if you ever happen to be out there and see a fat guy in an orange shirt riding by on a blue Land Gear MTB, that'll be me. Be sure to say Hi!