Deer Park Conditions

Xler8

Well-Known Member
Can anyone offer some pointers on Deer Park and Stephens? Like which place is good to park at and which trails are better. I went there once and parked on Kinney Rd. Took some trail that was ok but definitely going in the wrong direction. I ended up finishing at the gate on Kinney Rd. I feel there might be a better approach.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
Can anyone offer some pointers on Deer Park and Stephens? Like which place is good to park at and which trails are better. I went there once and parked on Kinney Rd. Took some trail that was ok but definitely going in the wrong direction. I ended up finishing at the gate on Kinney Rd. I feel there might be a better approach.

@mattybfat pointed us to park by the pavilion at Stephens which puts you in the thick of things
though you may get lost in there without a guide, we did...

Coordinates
40.879986,-74.805508

Kinney Rd is where we bumped into the mtbnj team by the iron gate
 

Reggie

Formerly ReggieHammond
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Can anyone offer some pointers on Deer Park and Stephens? Like which place is good to park at and which trails are better. I went there once and parked on Kinney Rd. Took some trail that was ok but definitely going in the wrong direction. I ended up finishing at the gate on Kinney Rd. I feel there might be a better approach.

There are several areas where you can get into both Deer Park and Stephens respectfully.

From the Iron Gate off Kinney Road, you can do both from one parking spot. First, cross over Waterloo Road and head up the Orange INTO Deer Park....do a loop in there and head back down the Orange back to the Iron Gate and eventually into Stephens.

The good trails are not marked that well, but Maprika has the vast majority on each downloadable map. The best suggestion is to find someone familiar with the trails to take you on a proper tour/loop.

I would normally offer up my experience, but I'm on the IR right now with a club hand.

Deer Park isn't that difficult to navigate without a guide, but Stephens is bigger with more trail options and therefore more options of getting turned around.
 

slushdog

Member
Rode Deer Park today. Did anyone lose a white Giro helmet? Still there sitting on a log.
20171026_131817.jpg
 

Reggie

Formerly ReggieHammond
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Looking to go to Deer Park hopefully in a few days... Where's the best place to park?

Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure Deer Park will be dry enough to ride this weekend. Allamuchy, which dries typically VERY quickly, is still a wet mess. Deer Park is the slowest to dry within the three parks; Allamuchy, Stephens, & Deer Park.

With rain foretasted for the Thursday and Friday and cloud cover and minimal temps for Saturday and Sunday.....it's not looking good.

That being said, there are two main places to park; (1) Dirt Lot at the end of Deer Park Road off Rt. 517 & (2) the parking lot at Rutherford Hall/Allamuchy School. I typically park here as it gives a fun transition into the park.

Please wait until the trails are dry enough to ride.
 

Mr. E Man

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure Deer Park will be dry enough to ride this weekend. Allamuchy, which dries typically VERY quickly, is still a wet mess. Deer Park is the slowest to dry within the three parks; Allamuchy, Stephens, & Deer Park.

With rain foretasted for the Thursday and Friday and cloud cover and minimal temps for Saturday and Sunday.....it's not looking good.

That being said, there are two main places to park; (1) Dirt Lot at the end of Deer Park Road off Rt. 517 & (2) the parking lot at Rutherford Hall/Allamuchy School. I typically park here as it gives a fun transition into the park.

Please wait until the trails are dry enough to ride.
I guess I should've been more clear in my post... I won't be able to ride until sometime next week anyways.. I was looking for an answer in a advanced in case i forget to post on here. And I don't ride if the trails aren't rideable..
Thanks for the locations.
 

Reggie

Formerly ReggieHammond
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Did a recon / rolling TM ride yesterday as I haven't been in Deer Park in a month+. I'm typing this as another 4"+ is dropping on the ground, so the wet conditions will remain the same for some time now. The typical wet spots were VERY wet with a small lake at the entrance to the Rogue Trail.

There are a few chainsaw worthy trees as well as approximately 10+ handsaw worthy trees that need to be addressed.

On the White - typically wet:
1522679912119.png


On the White past the Green intersection heading towards the dam
1522679802181.png


On the Rogue
1522679837672.png


On the White just past the Green intersection
1522679871820.png
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Looks like the beavers need to be set loose. Been thinking about Deer Park thanks for the update.
 

Robin

Well-Known Member
DP is the wettest I've ever seen. Rode from school and parts submerged in water along lake. Streams running down parts of white trail. Quite a few trees down on white but otherwise overgrowth wasn't bad.
 

TPI_Elky

Active Member
Not too bad today. First time riding DP. The East side of the lake was fine, but the west side by 517 was a muddy thorny mess. Gave up and rode 517 to Deer Park Road. White was pretty good but had a few muddy sections. Overall I thought the western side of white was good (didn't venture to the east). Blue was fine.
 

jdgang

Well-Known Member
Not too bad today. First time riding DP. The East side of the lake was fine, but the west side by 517 was a muddy thorny mess. Gave up and rode 517 to Deer Park Road. White was pretty good but had a few muddy sections. Overall I thought the western side of white was good (didn't venture to the east). Blue was fine.

You where wearing a full face helmet? Did I talk to you in the parking lot? if so I saw you riding up 517 past the quick check. How did you make it over there. Did you go down orange or green and take waterloo back to bliby and up 517?
 

TPI_Elky

Active Member
You where wearing a full face helmet? Did I talk to you in the parking lot? if so I saw you riding up 517 past the quick check. How did you make it over there. Did you go down orange or green and take waterloo back to bliby and up 517?

No, just the regular half helmet. We never got down that far south. I was riding with another guy from Philly area who had the van (maybe who you talked to?)

This was the round-about mixed up route we took
https://www.strava.com/activities/1817133086

Never hit orange or green, but did a bunch of unmarked trails, a good chunk of white & blue and all the lake trail that was fit to ride.
 

Reggie

Formerly ReggieHammond
Team MTBNJ Halter's
With the recent rain, Deer Park is a complete mess. Mud and standing water EVERYWHERE. Trails that are traditionally always dry have a river of running rain water coming down them. In all the years of riding here, I have never seen it this wet before. With additional rain forecasted, it will take take significant time of dry weather before being able to ride again.
 

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