The Toughest Road Climbs in NJ

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
I am doing a road ride out of peapack-gladstone/ pottersville area saturday if anyone wants to join. It will head up through fairmount and middle valley up schooley's mountain and most likely back around through high bridge/oldwick area. Looking to get 100 miles in.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
Yes, pickle road is good too...hollow brook is a nice scenic climb as well. Have you ridden jacob's ladder off lake road in far hills? While in pottersville though if you head out homestead about 2 miles and make a right on fox chase that's a nice climb too and then the cslifon side of 523 gets pretty steep as well
no, but that's in the plans when the weather and pollen settles down, I've been off the road bikes for about a year, thanks for the suggestions David
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
no, but that's in the plans when the weather and pollen settles down, I've been off the road bikes for about a year, thanks for the suggestions David
Many smaller hammer hill in the Highlands and Atlantic Highlands as well. Just ventureoff 1st ave or into the hills surrounding hartshorne and huber. Atlantic Hellands is one noteable segment
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
If anyone wants a quick way to lose your legs then Prospect street hill repeats in the highlands will do it. Not sure of the grade but it's concrete and you will need to keep the front wheel down while seated...it's that steep.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
Drove up this road in north bergen the other day. It goes between two high rises going west off river road...damn was that steep!!
 

rottin'

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Drove up this road in north bergen the other day. It goes between two high rises going west off river road...damn was that steep!!
Sounds like you went up Ferry Rd...and its cousin a few blocks away called Bulls Ferry
 

thehammerdog

New Member
After this weekend's ride, it struck me that we need a list of road climbs in the state. It would be cool to try and do something similar for off-road riding. But I think the road is a lot more tangible since you can map out a lot of the climbs to get some sort of baseline.

So here are some climbs that I would throw in the list of tough NJ climbs. I hope to be able to maintain this list over time as I ride more of them.

This is in no particular order

Fiddlers Elbow
Iron Bridge Rd
Bloomsbury Mountain
Ludlow Station (the sister of Iron Bridge)
Skyline Dr-Ringwood
Federal Twist Rd-Byram
Skyline
Brookvalley Road
Shire Road
Lommason Glen Rd/Buckhorn Dr./Castners Rd.
Breakneck
Millbrook
Barrett
Pickle
Steele Gap
Mine Rd?
Mt Pleasant (Columbia)

There are more up north I'm not familiar with. But I'd be interested in checking some of them out.

The Standings

  1. Adamic Hill (347 over .53 miles, 12.4%, 5.3 mph, 6:00)
  2. Warrenville (352 over .58 miles, 11.5%, 6.4 mph, 5:16)
  3. N Four Bridges (337 over .56 miles, 11.4%, 6.7 mph, 5:04)
  4. Zellers (477 over .9 miles, 10%, 7.2 mph, 7:29)
  5. Washington Ave (410 over .82 miles, 9.5%, 8.2 mph, 5:58)
  6. Pinchers Point (452 over .92 miles, 9.3%, 6.4 mph, 8:35)
  7. Beacon Hill (272 over .59 miles, 8.7%, 8.8 mph, 3:59)
  8. Vosseler (245 over .54, 8.6%, 8 mph, 4:04)
  9. Black River Rd (404 over .91 miles, 8.4%, 8.8 mph, 6:13)
  10. Schooley's Mountain (517 over 1.4 miles, 7%, 9.5 mph, 8:48)
  11. Pembrook 2nd half (281 over .77 miles, 6.9%, 8.6 mph, 5:22)
  12. Schoolhouse (453 over 1.31 miles, 6.6%, 10.3 mph, 7:38)
  13. 512 Califon (339 over 1.02 miles, 6.3%, 9.7 mph, 6:20)
  14. Drakestown (399 over 1.26, 6.0%, 10.6 mph, 7:09)
  15. Morning Glory (284 over .94 miles, 5.7%, 10.7 mph, 5:16)
  16. Pembrook full climb (380 over 1.23 miles, 5.6%, 9.4 mph, 7:49)
  17. East Fox Chase (318 over 1.12 miles, 5.3%, 10.1 mph, 6:39)
  18. Bissel (534 over 1.92, 5.3%, 10.6 mph, 10:51)
  19. Claermont (313 over 1.19 miles, 5%, 10.1 mph, 7:01)
  20. Campbell-Peachcroft Rd (501 over 2.04 miles, 4.7%, 11.2 mph, 10:55)
  21. Mount Harmony (393 over 1.83 miles, 4.1% 11.5 mph, 9:35)
Dude, come to Sparta go climb Glen road into Jefferson then up Weldon road....20 plus miles of climbing...No joke. Great roads with plenty of long steep climbing.
 

The Squirrel

Well-Known Member
Anyone ever check out Quenby Mountain Rd? Not sure if it was mentioned but I'm not going through 20 pages to find out! 11% over .7 miles

https://www.strava.com/segments/10526051

There's definitely something wrong with the graph on this one. It looks like you would ride for about 4/10th of a mile, then the crux comes in at around 5.11c, then back on the bike to the top.

Still looks tough.
 

gingertooth

Active Member
Dude, come to Sparta go climb Glen road into Jefferson then up Weldon road....20 plus miles of climbing...No joke. Great roads with plenty of long steep climbing.
Glen is def a good one but not the toughest in the area...Barret rd is definitely harder...and even better adding both of those climbs and more.. vernon/ Sussex have tons of fantastic climbing... have u tried deckertown rd to crigger rd to sunrise mt rd??? It's fantastic as well...or even mt Holland rd.?? Just too much good shiz up here.
 
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TJYeti

Knows about bikes
Dude, come to Sparta go climb Glen road into Jefferson then up Weldon road....20 plus miles of climbing...No joke. Great roads with plenty of long steep climbing.

Weldon is a great road. I'm in Denville and do 15 to Weldon to berkshire to 23s and take Green Pond back to Denville. 15 is a little sketchy on one of the climbs with no shoulder but what can you do.
 

grilledcheeseking

Well-Known Member

This loop is an annual, middle of July tradition of mine since 2013. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28032061

Year one: I was planning a loop near my wife's aunt and uncle's place in Holland Twp, and wife took the computer from me since she knows the area really well having spent a bunch of time there growing up. Based on the route she threw together, wife hates me knows that I enjoy climbing the same hill from every possible side.

This year: I flatted (front) shortly after Goritz Rd. turned to gravel. Sidewall cut. New tube, booted tire, back on the move.
Flatted again (rear) farther up the same road, sidewall cut. New tube, booted tire, back on the move.
Super happy I wasn't running these tires without tubes. Road tubeless seems dumb to me. I think I'm done with French tires and headed back to German tires.

Anyway, there are a few hills on this route. I figured it was about time I shared it. There's convenient stop for food and drink around the halfway point.
Because the loop is so stacked, it can be easy to get mixed up if you don't have turn by turn on.
Also, because of the shape of the thing there are a bunch of options to bail if you need / want to.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Hypothetical question. If you were to do the Everest Challenge in NJ, what climb would you choose?
 
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