Hither Hills - worth riding?

monteverest

New Member
Got a last minute invitation to go today. Is it worth riding? Seems a bit bland except for the scenery from what I saw but maybe ....
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I haven't been, but expect it to be flatter than glacier ridge with sand. But as you say scenery should be awesome and there's nice beaches around there. Traffic should suck this time of year unless you head out an odd hour.
 

KenS

JORBA: Director
JORBA.ORG
Awesome trail for the scenery, and some flowy st in spots. Very little sand. Generally speaking you want to stay north to hit the st. Park at the overlook and ride west on the stephen hands path which then turns back east. Head out to ditch plains and ride the cliffs when you dump out in town. Head east on the road from there and chill at the lighthouse. Very fun place to ride.
 

monteverest

New Member
ah - thanks all. I ended up leaving for Montauk without my bike but will rent one today if schedule permits (lots of road riders around here btw)
 

icebiker

JORBA: Morris Trails
JORBA.ORG
Hither Hills? or Glacier Ridge? (or both?)

So later next month I need to shuttle my daughter out to the Hamptons to visit her camp friend. They are in Bridgehampton, pretty much smack dab between Glacier Ridge and Hither Hills. I've ridden many of LI's stuff, but haven't been out that far before, so haven't ridden these two places yet.

Saw Manny's video on Glacier...looks like a blast. Not as clear on whether Hither would be better. If I did Hither, I'd take the fatbike for some time on the beach, but it's 30 minutes further east (whereas Glacier is on the way back home to NJ).

Has anyone ridden either and prefer one over the other?

If I get an early enough start maybe I can hit both? (I have from about 10 AM when I drop her off, till it gets dark...unless night riding is an option...:D)

Thanks
 

Jolly705

Member
I rode Hither for the first time two weekends ago and had a blast, there is great single track that is connected by double track roads. It is very fast and flowing. I do recommend you have extra tubes or run tubeless as I pulled a lot of thorns out of my tires. If you create an account on www.climbonline.org there is some good info and my post here
http://www.climbonline.org/cgi-bin/yabb25/YaBB.pl?num=1381258662 I would recommend printing a trail map, the trails are well marked and easy to follow. Serpants is a great and definitely take the tails along Rocky Point.

PS I have not been to Glacier
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If you are looking for something that is groomed specifically for mountain bikers (i.e. 6MR of Long Island), I'd head for Glacier Ridge. It's very well marked and you can't get lost there.

Cathedral Pines is also nearby, but Glacier is a bit more challenging by LI standards.

Rocky Point is also nearby with potentially more mileage, but the trails are not marked well and getting lost on the fireroads is a possibility unless you follow some GPS tracks.

I haven't been to Hither Hills and it is not advertised as well as the above 3 trails on the Climb site for whatever reason. I seem to recall someone saying buy a map at the local bike shop. Obviously, it's nice from the perspective that it's right next to the beach.
 

icebiker

JORBA: Morris Trails
JORBA.ORG
Thanks guys, I've done Rocky Point many times, as well as Cathedral, Stillwell and Meadowlark. Love ROcky Pt the most. Heard Glacier may be even more fun. Love the thought of the views from Hither, but need to see if time allows. Manorville looks interesting, not far from Rocky Pt... Thanks again!
 
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KenS

JORBA: Director
JORBA.ORG
Manorville and GR are more groomed, have more elevation change and are generally more bang for your buck. I love both places. Hither hills is great for the scenery and a detour to the lighthouse and lunch in town. You can also ride the bluffs at ditch plains and explore the gun mounts. Of the three definitely drive west to Manorville or g8, preferably both. Northwest woods outside of sag harbor also has trails but I would suggest local tour guide there. Have fun, LI is great for mtb.
 

Jolly705

Member
I have never been to the other place and typically ride in NJ but recommend riding Montauk if you are out there, here are some pics from two weeks back if it helps :D



 

Ride On

Member
I just came from East Hampton...rode Hither Hills. Place is very unique. About 20 miles of very flowy, Very fast not particulary groomed (a lot of branch debris, thorns) not very technical but fun. As others have said the views are great! Several different echo systems... old woods, scrub pines, wild beach scrub. There is a really nice fresh water lake (called Fresh Pond). There is a unique dune section that you can stop on to take a short hike through. Serpent's Back is a really cool roller coaster trail that cuts though the middle of the park with lots punchy ups and downs -- fly down the hills to use your momentum to go up the next hill without pedaling -- it is equally fun in both directions. The trail are maps are little confusing and there are several different methods that are used to mark the trails but it didn't take too long to figure out. Also keep in mind half the park is called Hither Hills State Park the other half is called Hither Woods Preserve which adds a bit to the confusion. I also couldn't believe how empty it was. In two days we didn't see any hikers and only 2 other mountain bikers. This was on a Friday and a Sunday. If I had to compare to a local trail system I would compare it to a slightly hillier less groomed version of Allaire with the views of Hartshorne with a more back country feel.
 
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