i've become very well versed in these trails and can pretty much tell you which ways to go for the best ride possible.
start off at the trail head and head into the trail, take the first left into the small yellow trail and follow that through the numbers. once you get to 8 you're back on the main trail from the trail head, make a right onto the white trail, go over the bridge. follow the white trail until you see the orange trail entrance, take that, go over the next bridge and head left. follow the orange loop (2 marshy areas) around until you see the entrance to the green trail (which intersects the beginning of the orange trail if you headed right around the loop) go over that bridge and ride the slight incline and then you'll reach a few little swoopy areas and a long ladder bridge. cross that and head to the right. follow that out to pleasant valley, make a right on pleasant valley (do NOT continue on the green trail, it leads to nothing but mud and swamp across pleasant valley), make a left onto the white trail, follow that straight, past the first right turn. you'll pass the ending of the green trail on the left, keep going straight, it'll hook to the right. follow that until you get past the loose sand, hook right and you'll wind up turning left, leaving the sand pit to your right and you can follow a nice little loop around there (maybe another mile of trail or so). when you exit that loop (if done properly) it'll put you back on the white trail headed back the way you came. if you hook left you can take the short cut past the sand pit.
that seems to be the best way to ride phillips park. if you take the white trail out to pleasant valley you have to fight the quicksand staircase (those of you who have been there know what i mean). following the green trail after pleasant valley, again, is all swamp and mud. there are secret trails on the green trail (and if you're not careful you'll get sucked into the secret trail) that lead to route 18. across pleasant valley, if you follow the white trail past the green trail ending, hook right go straight and then hook left there's a secret trail that leads to greystone and then there are trails past there as well but last i checked there were trees there to block that path. in the inner white trail loop there's another secret trail that leads to some muddy land and i think some guys back yard
. i haven't been over there in a while... i just follow that little network and it's a good ride. double back the same way and the incline on the green trail becomes a real nice fast trail that you can get some speed on, cross the bridge, circle back around the orange trail - which rides differently in both directions - or just hook left and get back to the white trail, hang right and exit... it's not the most fun you'll ever experience but it's a good workout. there are secret trails everywhere but they lead to mostly swampy areas or thorns...
i've been riding in frost woods a lot this season. it's about a 4.5-5 mile ride from phillips park (it starts at the back of the office complex at the corner of summerhill rd and old stage road in spotswood across from the 711) someone really cleaned it up a bunch, added some ladder bridges and a big drop (don't chance the drop!). it's good to kill some more hours and the uphill climbs are really intense compared to phillips park... i'm sure they don't hold a candle to clayton, hartshorne, etc but for local parks, they are okay. thompson park in jamesburg has a nice trail network behind the dog park (by monroe twp highschool) as well
