Watchung Reservation MTB Access - This Is It!!

TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
wow talk about dilapidated trails.

Reminds me of the "bridge" over a gully within sight of the picnic area on skytop... one rotten plank (the rest are washed away) Good park maintainance right?

yet when i mentioned this at the first meeting (Feb '14) county indignantly responded that the trails were wonderful. Later i went by the trailside center where they had new bridges etc. I realized we were both right -- that part was in good shape. so the park was so big, one part was not the same as the other, which should say something... maybe its big enuff to share too. Just a thought.
 
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Dingo

Well-Known Member
I believe he is trying to climb out of this washout which is like 8 feet deep. Note, 20 years ago when MTB was legal, this was about a 1 ft deep rideable section.

View attachment 52982

The rope is off to the left behind me.

Photo was taken last Summer when all the signs came down and Watchung was supposedly legal to ride.
That is some serious erosion. So they, the anti-bikers are blaming MTB's for this?
 

TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
I blame dwarves, Everyone knows that in their greed they dig too deep into the sacred mountain! (Sorry, to Tolkien)
 

Xler8

Well-Known Member
The county hired forensic scientists to study all the erosion and they found that all of the erosion was caused by the mtb'ers during the period when the signs came down.

I read the report. It's legit.
 

TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
Lol. I still say dwarves are more likely.
Though i don't know. When I asked in my '14 opra request for any documentation they had of trail damage at Watchung they relied on to determine we should be banned in March of '95 they furnished a report about 2 trails at south mtn in another county (NOT WATCHUNG!), that was dated ON THE COVER a year after the decision to ban us (April 31 1996)..so anything is possible.

But still, dwarves. Or maybe goblins.
 

gladerider

New Member
I believe he is trying to climb out of this washout which is like 8 feet deep. Note, 20 years ago when MTB was legal, this was about a 1 ft deep rideable section.

View attachment 52982

The rope is off to the left behind me.

Photo was taken last Summer when all the signs came down and Watchung was supposedly legal to ride.

this erosion has nothing to do with MTB.
this gap was relatively small about 10 years ago until hurricane irene.
irene did a pretty big damage and it never recovered after that and sandy the following year didn't help either.
ever since then, the erosion got bigger and bigger.

i live 2 miles away from WR.
 

stilluf

Well-Known Member
This section is one of the worst at Watchung. However, apart from the trails adjacent to the trailside center, and the equestrian trails, there are many other trails that are very eroded, washed out, and/or otherwise unsustainable.
The tragic irony is that the Never-MTB crowd always ignored this, and instead falsely claimed that MTB would be an "environmental catastrophe" for Watchung!
 

TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
Remember, as H.L. Menken said,
“it is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume that every citizen is a criminal. …the moment they become aware of a definite citizen, John Doe, seeking what is his right under the law, they begin searching feverishly for an excuse for withholding it from him.”
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
This section is one of the worst at Watchung. However, apart from the trails adjacent to the trailside center, and the equestrian trails, there are many other trails that are very eroded, washed out, and/or otherwise unsustainable.
The tragic irony is that the Never-MTB crowd always ignored this, and instead falsely claimed that MTB would be an "environmental catastrophe" for Watchung!
the real crime is that the currently allowed constituents have let the park down by leaving sections like this in disrepair. The county has decided not to partner with the MTB community and unfortunately conditions will only deteriorate with time due to neglect. None of the MTB parks where I've ridden in NJ are as poorly maintained. Good luck to WR
 
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TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
Good luck... it's more like F-ck off! Screw the powers that be.

Assuming you mean the Board of Freeloaders... A wiser man than I once observed, "“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” - Thomas Paine
 
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Big Dumb Animal

Hippo Nipples' #1 Fan
What are the posted penalties for riding in WR? South Mountain says you're subject to a fine and/or confiscation of your bike. I've been running on south mountain for years and have seen the police there only twice. Has SM been in the talks with allowing MTB access or is Watchung the focus right now? Hate having to drive so far to ride when I live less then 5 minutes from SM.
 

TheLonerider

Well-Known Member
Thats the funny part, there are none, although they threaten confiscation of the bike... based on an old "registration with your town" requirement no one does anymore... not the ordinance they say is about mt biking or bikes on the trails (which is actually only about roads, sidewalks, paths, and not blocking cars, and mentions neither mt biking nor the word trails-- besides predating the '95 mt bike ban which was created behind closed doors by over ten years... )

So there is far as I know, no posted penalty for mt biking, only for not having your bike registered in your town -- a separate issue and a moot one at that which no one requires anymore as we all know.

However, I do believe some riders said there was a fine for mtb-ing, not sure how much cause I don't think it;s posted anywhere.

The fliers they posted saying mt biking is forbidden only mention the threat of confiscation, which again is related to registration not mt biking one way or the other... although they quote the ordinance they say is about mt biking -- which doesn't mention confiscation... the whole thing is weird...
 

Big Dumb Animal

Hippo Nipples' #1 Fan
At least at SM the official signs are clear although they are ignored. I don't know Watchung well enough to know how much they monitor it, if at all.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
Good luck... it's more like F-ck off! Screw the powers that be.
no really, good luck
It's hard for those who live and grew up in the area to have to turn their backs on the WR. There are endless places where I can volunteer my time and sweat, though really would have loved to create some world class trails at WR with the help of JORBA and the community.
 

Big Dumb Animal

Hippo Nipples' #1 Fan
no really, good luck
It's hard for those who live and grew up in the area to have to turn their backs on the WR. There are endless places where I can volunteer my time and sweat, though really would have loved to create some world class trails at WR with the help of JORBA and the community.
Especially with so much potential at WR.
 
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