The patriarch, Frederick, who designed Newark's Branch Brook Park, in addition to Brooklyn's Prospect Park and Manhattan's Central Park, thought the terrain that would become South Mountain Reservation was beautiful and promising as a public space. Natural Lands Trust: Information for their New Jersey nature preserves: Peek Preserve and Glades Wildlife Refuge. Mountain bikers were portrayed as non-residents of Essex County, too young to pay taxes, and reckless. Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. Less than two years later, Treffinger was under a twenty-count indictment for fraud, extortion and obstruction. In South Mountain, for example, the effects of bikes during a drought are completely different from those during a rainstorm. LIke I said its a really cool place and has some grat mountian bikeing.The Reservation is very Mountian bike friendly on like other Reservations in Essex County. Winery / Restaurants / Food Trucks The bike path is nestled at the bottom of the railroad embankment carrying New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. At the same time Essex County's ban took effect, a similar one was adopted in neighboring Union County, home to the area's other top mountain biking destination, Watchung Reservation. The West Essex Trail is an Essex County park, situated on the former right-of-way of the Caldwell Branch of the old Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, in Verona, New Jersey, and Cedar Grove, New Jersey.Distinguishing features of this rail trail include a trestle bridge 20 feet (6m) above the Peckman River, and the abandoned Essex County Hospital Center. The County Executive at the time of the mountain biking ban, James Treffinger, was not, as far as I can tell, particularly concerned with the regulatory minutia of the park system. I grew up in South Mountain Reservation, on my mountain bike, always fleet yet always in awe of its challenges. One large article in The Star-Ledger of Newark used subtly manipulative and biased language: "Suddenly angry voices rang out. Ringwood State Park in Bergen County has 25 miles of paved and unpaved bike trails. Essex County has 62 mountain-biking trails. I’d much prefer the paralleled D&R trail for biking. In some cases, this portrayal was accurate, but no one seemed to care, for example, that one of the leaders of the hikers' cause was a Manhattan resident. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the Fairy Trail NJ, where the tiny fairy houses will enchant your littles along the trail and in the trees. Instead, articles quoted hikers who called bikers "kamikaze people." Intermediate. When complete the Green Brook Multi-Use Trail will meander for 7 miles through the communities of Plainfield and North Plainfield, New Jersey. Eco Tours, Train Rides, Whale Watching, etc. I didn't stop riding for a moment, but fears of a cop confiscating my bike changed the tenor of the experience. The Sandy Hook Multi-Use Pathway travels 8.7 miles alongside the picturesque beaches and historical monuments of the Sandy Hook peninsula. In some cases, this portrayal was accurate, but no one seemed to care, for example, that one of the leaders of the hikers' cause was a Manhattan resident. Ocean City Bike Path offers a short, paved route through the center of Ocean City and allows visitors a glimpse into the history of this interesting seaside town. See all Essex County trails. Took my bike for 30 miles on this trail. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews. Among us were wild teenagers, with dyed hair and facial piercings, as well as staid middle-age executives, who could find some escape from the non-stop hustle of everyday life in such a wealthy and competitive county. Great trail, super smooth to ride on and got a chance to see some great wildlife on the lake as well. The report acknowledged that South Mountain's trails needed substantial work, but the report was mostly silent on the topic of mountain bikes (outside of a bike-specific path nowhere near South Mountain). The quality of the trail conditions, layout and maintenance is a testament to the efficacy of a compromise between responsible bikers and caring hikers enabled by a fair governmental policy. Mountain biking in Essex County broke down class, racial and gender barriers for many. 523 Miles 842 Kilometers of Trail 10 Recommended Routes ... 4.8 mi 7.8 km #1 Camden County College Trails. It's notable that the issue to address is actually on-trail use of bicycles, which is banned, not off-trail use, about which the trailhead signs have nothing to say. I wondered how it had arrived there without getting stuck in a rut or behind a fallen tree. Unlike those who wanted to ban mountain bikers so they could have the public land all to themselves, I am happy that South Mountain is forever changing and that the passage of time will bring with it new opportunities rather than the comfort of repetitive experiences. While only a few hikers were likely responsible for these acts, they were a physical manifestation of the selfishness and unwillingness to compromise which characterized the hikers' cause. Hikers, too, use the ramps to easily cross large logs without having to forge a new trail by circumnavigating the obstacles. My home turf was South Mountain Reservation, in Essex County, and I knew it more intimately than I yet knew anyone of the opposite sex. Had to really look thru all the shrubbery and trees to get a view of anything, otherwise just a narrow path to the end and back. Mostly shaded area. In the spring of 1995, a vituperative hiker reminded officials in Essex County, New Jersey of a nearly forgotten ordinance forbidding cyclists from venturing off paved paths in county parks. I noted the seasonal and even diurnal changes in the woods. You want to get out there early if your biking, as the foot traffic increases around 11am. The effect was wide-ranging neglect of the parks. That the fire did not spread and rage out of control proved that a small human intervention can be greatly beneficial to the Reservation. Years ago, probably around the time of the ban, I stumbled onto a low, smoldering forest fire on the yellow trail above Stonehenge. The problem was that we had organized and educated each other, but the movement collapsed upon defeat. Despite this, the benefit of losing South Mountain was that I began to ride elsewhere, expanding my range, and I was able to return to the Reservation on foot, to appreciate it in a new light. In 2000, Treffinger made headlines himself by telling the cable channel HBO it could not use county property while filming its hit drama about Mafiosi living in Essex County, The Sopranos. The Lenape Trail is an paved multiuse pathway stretching two miles end-to-end. There was one truck parked on a nearby fire road, presumably with firefighters monitoring the conflagration. The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. Length: 35 miles. High school mountain biking clubs cropped up and rode there weekly. If the argument is that bikes endanger the trails, it's because the soil over the rocks is thin in many places due to erosion. Explore the best rated trails in Newark, NJ. What really upsets me is when I think about the community that disappeared. This colorful panorama is the political background of the mountain biking ban. 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