Big Bad Hills

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Here's a loop I did today:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7778402

This comes closer to your house Ryan and also loops into the Matheny loop. It also adds Schoolhouse Lane which is near you and over a mile climb. There are 3 different climbs in this ride that are well over a mile. Nothing brutally steep but there's plenty of ups and downs in this loop. This gives you an alternate to Lake Rd/Ravine Lake which the Matheny loop hits, and if you ride them both it will give you a good overview of the area.
 

Maurice

New Member
http://www.roberts-1.com/b/u/nj/hills/bycounty/index.htm#Somerset_county

I have a loop that hits all of these. There's actually a few they left out as well, like Washington Rock Road, which is longer and steeper than Warrenville Road, washinton Ave, and King George Road (across Valley Road):hmmm:

-Jim.

The problem with those roads is that they're pretty busy during the week. It's bad enough having to look over your shoulder while climbing, but being brushed by a car doing 35mph+ while riding at walking pace (and not quite straight...) gets old quick. Plus getting all worked up kills momentum.
It's a shame those are nice climbs... Power to you for riding those.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Here's a loop I did today:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7778402

This comes closer to your house Ryan and also loops into the Matheny loop. It also adds Schoolhouse Lane which is near you and over a mile climb. There are 3 different climbs in this ride that are well over a mile. Nothing brutally steep but there's plenty of ups and downs in this loop. This gives you an alternate to Lake Rd/Ravine Lake which the Matheny loop hits, and if you ride them both it will give you a good overview of the area.

Sweet we'll have to meet up one of these days and try em out. This loop is very accessable to me.
 

Maurice

New Member
Here's a loop I did today:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7778402

This comes closer to your house Ryan and also loops into the Matheny loop. It also adds Schoolhouse Lane which is near you and over a mile climb. There are 3 different climbs in this ride that are well over a mile. Nothing brutally steep but there's plenty of ups and downs in this loop. This gives you an alternate to Lake Rd/Ravine Lake which the Matheny loop hits, and if you ride them both it will give you a good overview of the area.

Norm, this looks good, I'll have to check them out over lunch time one of these days. Usually if I want to climb on a work day I'll go to the Hacklebarney/Black River area. No traffic. Also, dropping west towards 202 is steep as hell in a few places, although very short.

Beyond Pottersville, there's Hollow Brook rd. and Fox Hill rd. that are noteworthy. Not the worst climbs in the world, but a quaint area with very little traffic.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
A few nice hills I've found are along a route I planned out from Plainsboro to Lambertville and back. I'm not sure of exact lengths or elevation gain, but most are reasonably long (over a mile) and somewhat steep in spots. They are also reasonably traffic-free:

Coppermine Road off Canal Road. Steep at the bottom but keeps climbing for a while before crossing the ridge then turn right at the stop and dropping back down to Canal Rd.

Hollow - Long Hill - Zion Road. Nice grinder climb that gets steep near the top.

Goat Hill Road. Reasonably long climb, but not terribly steep, then drops into Lamberville.

Rocktown Lamberville Road. Another long, but not terribly steep climb.

Sometime later in the season as my endurance improves, I plan to add this loop into my Bucks Co. route for a nice 123 mile ride... :)
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
A few nice hills I've found are along a route I planned out from Plainsboro to Lambertville and back. I'm not sure of exact lengths or elevation gain, but most are reasonably long (over a mile) and somewhat steep in spots. They are also reasonably traffic-free:

Coppermine Road off Canal Road. Steep at the bottom but keeps climbing for a while before crossing the ridge then turn right at the stop and dropping back down to Canal Rd.

Hollow - Long Hill - Zion Road. Nice grinder climb that gets steep near the top.

Goat Hill Road. Reasonably long climb, but not terribly steep, then drops into Lamberville.

Rocktown Lamberville Road. Another long, but not terribly steep climb.

Sometime later in the season as my endurance improves, I plan to add this loop into my Bucks Co. route for a nice 123 mile ride... :)

Ahh, finally the hills I know....

Not killer hills, but worth mentioning in the southern central region....

Add Pleasant Valley Road going away from RT 29 towards the north of baldpate.

Poor Farm Road going north, short but steep

New Road going south, short but "ouchy" towards the top.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Post up some GPS loops!

Should I edit the OP and add the routes as they get added?
 

liong71er

Well-Known Member
bad hill maybe??

i was riding down this road from wawayanda rd towards down to rt 94.

on my way down wich is very steep downhill imagine if climbing it,i saw 2 roadies on their way climbing this road.(and they were suffering too:D)

from 94 either south or north,look for barret rd take that road(probably 1/2 mile climb) you won't be sorry if you guys are "climbs craving cyclist" these road will take you up to wawayanda rd wich is to wawayanda SP entrance.
 

kchu1

New Member
Skip Copper Mine. Go up the next rd, Old Georgetown then down CoRt518 Georgetown Franklin twp.
Don't forget Somerville Rd, Steele Gap Rd/Newmans Ln in the lower Watchungs.
 

kchu1

New Member
Best hill's I've found were near the Delaware River... but nothing close to that in terms of elevation gain...
Actually many of nj's toughest are near the delaware. You get lowest base w/ a decent ridge or mtn.
NW Warren & Sussex have many 1k climbs inc Millbrook. A new #1 could happen anytime the rd dept paves the gravel rds in the area.
The toughest in the state is 1450' in 1.62mi but its closed now. Only Fiddlers Elbow & Breakneck are close.
 

kchu1

New Member
Do these climbs have to be in Jersey? With a Max elevation of 1840', the climbs can only be so big.

-Route 17a between Greenwood Lake and NY Thruway. Ms. Pixy may have been referring to this one.

-Bear Mountain, NY. I forget all the numbers. From the Hudson River it is 6% for the first half. Perkins Memorial Road then continues to the top and averages 8%. The steepest stretch is 14%.

-High Point, NJ. Start in Montague, NJ and climb towards the East. Don't forget to turn into the park and go to the monument. That is where it is most painful.

I've done the Lebanon52 and it's longer brother, the 63. Hillier than thou hits many of the most brutal stretches of road in the Warren county area. There are also some brutal climbs in Hunterdon Cty, North and East of Milford, NJ.
Ben I figured you would mention Fox Gap & Slide Mtn climbs considering your familarily. The Fox Gap climb is tough, but the ~10mi descent is good for 70+mph. Only 55 if your not too heavy on the brakes.
 

kchu1

New Member
http://www.roberts-1.com/b/u/nj/hills/bycounty/index.htm#Somerset_county

I have a loop that hits all of these. There's actually a few they left out as well, like Washington Rock Road, which is longer and steeper than Warrenville Road, washinton Ave, and King George Road (across Valley Road):hmmm:

-Jim.
That sounds a lot like the old college training route we called the tri-klops.
Will have to dig that out.
Started/ended @RU student ctr, down river rd then went over rt22/I-78 via overpasses. It climbed 4 good climbs and passed a castle somewhere in 32mi.
 

al415

Banned
...Speaking of the Delaware. Cycle Funnatic in Phillipsburg (Warren County) host a good group ride on Sunday mornings. It starts at the shop and follows the river until you climb over to the PA side and back down to finish in Easton. There are some very respectable climbs in that part of the state. It really puts having a road bike at the shore (where I am) into perspective :cry:

On the subject of top speeds; when I did the mountainous Supercup rides in Germany I'd max out my cycling computer's 100kph top speed on a regular basis going downhill on my old colnago. Passing motorcycles and cars in the twistiest sections wasn't uncommon either. I doubt I'd have the nerve today, and that’s assuming I could even climb the hills to get up there in the first place.
 

thedoner

Member
Hellish Hills

These are some of my favorite walls of pain:

Deckertown Rd: Climbs over HP ridge. Pretty tough. mild at the start, steeper at the top. Gains 500ft

Glenwood Mtn. Rd (from Lake Walkill Rd) - Not too long but very steep up top. Gains 550 ft.

Edison Rd from (Ogdensburg) - Nothing too hard, but very scenic and just keeps going, lots of false endings. Gains about 700ft.

Waughaw (Near Montville) Short, but very steep & nasty. Gains 500ft.

Greenville Tpk (from Port Jervis side) - gradual at the bottom, then keeps getting steeper. Gains 800ft.

Barrett Rd (Vernon) - The bottom is very tough. It mellows out, then smacks you in the face again at the top. Gains almost 900ft.

Millbrook (DWG) - Only did this once a few years ago but the 2nd half was painful. super steep and sustained.

Breakneck Rd (Vernon) - The hardest road climb in NJ that I've done (although I haven't tried Fiddlers Elbow yet) It has 20% pitch followed by a brutal 25% pitch. I rarely ride it though because of the traffic.

But the toughest climb in NJ (IMHO) is right in my backyard, and must be done on a MTB. Start at the bottom of Mountain Creek South and climb the ski trails to the top of Bear Peak...it's granny gear steep the whole way and your HR WILL be in the red. Take the short rocky doubletrack off the backside, and finish the climb to the top of South Peak. It take 20+ minutes to do the whole thing. Total climbing, 1000 ft.
 

vanvanj

Member
i've done 44 on a demo tarmac on route 206 princeton starting at the dealerships than downhill for about 3 miles, pretty scary as 206 is normally packed with cars and large semi's!!!
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
i've done 44 on a demo tarmac on route 206 princeton starting at the dealerships than downhill for about 3 miles, pretty scary as 206 is normally packed with cars and large semi's!!!

206 is not downhill for 3 miles anywhere I that area.
 

p9group

New Member
Rode up Milford-Staats and Ademic Hill out in Hunterdon Co.,
this past Saturday. Man, those were tough imo.

Both came late in my ride, starting around mile 65 of 92 I think.
Not long, but steep section on each. :cry:

Some real nice roads out there and great scenery.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/941684
 
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mike5756

Member
seeing the recent posts in the toughest hill climb tread made me want to do some climbing. unfortunately essex county generally sucks for everything biking, but i left the house today without much of a plan but put together some painful fun around where i grew up. bumps compared to the likes of breakneck and others up north/west, but we make do with what we have around here, esp in the winter.

http://app.strava.com/activities/37161425

also found some interesting art on the top of longview in SO. not sure i'd have the balls to put this on my front lawn in GR.
 

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