Good loop out of lot c???

[daytona]

Hello does anyone have a suggested loop from lot c that would encompass most of the fun trails in the park. Fun being flowy singletrack like racetrack and new white trail? I have ridden here a couple of times and if another lot is a better staring point let me know. I do not use strava but have maprika app so if you could list trails that would be great.

Thanks

Larry

 

[mustclime]

Define fun...no idea how to show you my loops without showing you....

 

[SSmtbr]

Larry,

Ringwood and flowy don't really go together (minus the white trail), but it's defintely a fun park and manageable to intermediates and above. This is the route I've been doing most of the times to incorporate MOST of the park:

Starting from Lot C, go across the road and take Duck Pond Trail
Keep right to stay on singletrack (Black Bear Trail)
From the soccer field at Ryerson take a left and follow the double track until it meets up with the Red Ringwood-Ramapo trail and climb that for a while
Left onto Cat's Nest and have a fun downhill
Left onto the fire road as you exit Cat's Nest and follow that straight to the white trail/Poison Ivy: go right and climb that to Weyble Pond
Turn around and the descend the trail you just climbed and follow the white all the way down and back up until you get to the Ringwood/Ramapo (red) trail
Descend Defiance Rd all the way back to Lot C (good time to refill water/snack if needed)
**This part I hate...Is there a better way to Link Lot C to Shepherd's Lake? Maybe Shepherd Pond Trail (never tried it)** follow the paved road all the way to Shepherd's Lake and bear right to the gravel path and right on the Race Trail (RVCC blaze)...May be hard to see but you'll see clear singletrack that climbs from that gravel path
Follow race trail until you hit Skylands Trail (blue)
Skylands to Ringwood-Ramapo again (red)
Ringwood-Ramapo will meet back up where you climbed White, keep following the Ringwood-Ramapo trail (warm puppy)
After descending from warm puppy you can continue across the road and eventually meet back up at Ryerson and follow the Black Bear and Duck Pond trail back to Lot C, or hang a right as soon as you hit the gravel fire road which will be a relatively short paved road that will take you to Lot C

Strava link to this ride (more or less what I described): https://www.strava.com/activities/167739138/


This park is tough to navigate and easy to get lost/sidetracked and I had to follow some regulars there before getting the feel of the park. There are a lot more trails out there that you can hit and make a larger loop but this route seems to flow pretty nicely and make for a good workout on the bike.

 

[soundz]

As @SSmtbr mentioned the white trail is pretty much the only thing that's flowy in Ringwood. If you have come across the red trail, which you can get to easily from Lot C, that's really want Ringwood is all about.

When I go to Ringwood, I normally don't think "I want to do this loop". I normally go in thinking, I'm gonna hit this trail first. Then when I'm done with that trail, I think "what's the next trail that's close to here", then I hit that. The biggest reason is because it is impossible to hit all the trails there in a 2-3hr period unless you are superman and you want to try different trails for the times that you are there.

A lot of times, I find that going out and back on a trail is pretty good for Ringwood as doing it in a different direction is completely different. There are also a lot of un-ridden stuff if you are into exploring that is not necessarily bike-friendly.

You kind of have to know where all the trails are in order to do this so it can be kind of hard to navigate .. Ringwood used to be impossible to navigate, but I think it's getting somewhat easier to find the trails, although it's still hard to figure out.

When I go to Wawayanda, I kind of have a similar thought process, but when I go to Jungle Habitat, I always have a loop in mind.

 

[bucknejo]

I usually park in the Ryerson lot as Ringwood makes you pay for parking from Memorial Day - Labor day. Attached are some "loops" I try when I only have 1-2 hours or so before it's back to baby duty.

I always try to incorporate the white trail as I think this one is the most fun.

The base map is from the JORBA site (whoever made the map did a great job as it's very accurate and makes what is a confusing web of fire roads not so intimidating for a beginner):

http://jorba.org/sites/default/files/Ringwood MTB Map 11x17 PDF Oct 2014.pdf

I sketched out some layers (image attachments) using pixelmator.

loop 4 is purple going out, light blue coming in.
loop 5 is light green going out, light blue coming in.

IMO Ringwood is rocks and technical trails - white is the exception and a reward for riding everything else.

 

[daytona]

Thanks guys for the replies. Very helpful. I just wanted to get a better sense of ringwood then just ride trail find new trail hit fire rode and repeat. I ride in central jersey and some trails in a park are better than others. For instance at souralnds they list all trails but some are hike a bike and others are ridable. So thanks to you I will not be stopped looking at map trying to find where I am too often. Thanks again.

 

[pixychick]

Larry
**This part I hate...Is there a better way to Link Lot C to Shepherd's Lake? Maybe Shepherd Pond Trail (never tried it)** f

Yes, It is very easy. Go out the back left corner of Lot C by the kiosk. Make a right and then a quick left. That trail should put you near white behind the gardens. Follow white north behind the gardens until it T's on pavement. Make right for a few hundred feet and then right again by greenhouse. Keep right and climb up double track along the arbor wall and past the arbor. Cross pipeline and you will meet race trail.