Cheesequake any good?

eekabug

New Member
Just cause you couldnt find where trails started and ended does not mean others cant.
Its different than it was before but is still a good short change of pace ride.
 

walter

Fourth Party
Just cause you couldnt find where trails started and ended does not mean others cant.
Its different than it was before but is still a good short change of pace ride.

No, Mr Turtle is right, the entire park is in shambles. Ive been to Cheesequake numerous times both on the bike and off. The bike allowed multi use trail is all messed up, and since mid decemberish ive been running and hiking the green, yellow and the other one. The hiking trails that are close to the Morgan Creek were decimated by the storm surge. The boardwalks and stairs and other man made features are all sorts of F'd up.

Like Hartshorne, this place gets no love. Hopefully in 3 years or so the boyscouts will raise enough money to fix an 8 ft section of trail.
 

wonderturtle

Well-Known Member
Just cause you couldnt find where trails started and ended does not mean others cant.
Its different than it was before but is still a good short change of pace ride.

just not worth it IMHO. especially when you have places like Hartshorne or Allaire a short distance down the GSP that are each 100x better.

right now, I would even steer people to Tatum (10 minutes down the GSP) instead of Cheesequake.

as Walter said, the place is in shambles.
 
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ekim

Member
just not worth it IMHO. especially when you have places like Hartshorne or Allaire a short distance down the GSP that are each 100x better.

right now, I would even steer people to Tatum (10 minutes down the GSP) instead of Cheesequake.

as Walter said, the place is in shambles.

It's not that bad. There are 2 small loops near the commuter parking on the parkway side that are bad. The one nearest the commuter parking is really bad, the further one has two tree down right next to each other where climbing over 'em is a little bit of a pain. Other than that there is one tree to climb over and the usual mud after rain in a few places.

Hartshorne and Allaire are way better but Cheesequake is still a decent 3 mile loop if you are in the area and have some time for a quick ride.

If I were near Cheesquake I wouldn't spend to time to drive down to Tatum or Thompson/Holmdel as a alternative. It's only a few more minutes to get to Hartshorne at that point.
 
Its short, hilly, fast (depending which way you go), and fun. I say go out first, hit white trail, see if your son can go with you later. I ride this park hard but it always slaps me in the face.

Yup ,,im a local & description was dead on !!! Great place for riders just syarting out ,even for advanced riders lookin for a quick ride ,,,,just wish it was longer
 
It's not that bad. There are 2 small loops near the commuter parking on the parkway side that are bad. The one nearest the commuter parking is really bad, the further one has two tree down right next to each other where climbing over 'em is a little bit of a pain. Other than that there is one tree to climb over and the usual mud after rain in a few places.

Hartshorne and Allaire are way better but Cheesequake is still a decent 3 mile loop if you are in the area and have some time for a quick ride.

If I were near Cheesquake I wouldn't spend to time to drive down to Tatum or Thompson/Holmdel as a alternative. It's only a few more minutes to get to Hartshorne at that point.
Was just laughin out loud to myself after reading this post ,,i ride the exact same loop said to my wife yesterday ( we rode the loop a few times) "i should a chainsaw in my backpack & just cut the fallen trees myself ...lol....if you a local resident

Just looking for a quickie then this is da spot !!!...... Unfortunely does not appear they have much help (plenty of police tho .....),,i have signed up twice now for trail care but nothing........readers but be discougared(plse excuse my spelling) this is a nice place to ride but take it for whut it is !!
 

njracer

Member
So I hit Cheesequake on Monday and it was my 1st time back since Sandy. To be honest, it was not that bad. It's true Hartshorne is MUCH better but I only had like an hour-ish to ride so the 5min drive to Cheesequake beat out the 25min ride to Hartshorne.

The trails are not that bad and I only had to carry the bike over one large tree. I only rode for 49 minutes but I was able to knock out a bit over 4mi before I had to head home.

While I would rather ride Hartshorne, it's really not a bad place to go if you're close and want to get in a quick ride.
 

Lupob6

New Member
Agreed ^ it's worth it if you have less than an hour to ride. The climb with switchbacks and steps is tough for me still
 

PatrickBrown

Active Member
So I hit Cheesequake on Monday and it was my 1st time back since Sandy. To be honest, it was not that bad. It's true Hartshorne is MUCH better but I only had like an hour-ish to ride so the 5min drive to Cheesequake beat out the 25min ride to Hartshorne.

The trails are not that bad and I only had to carry the bike over one large tree. I only rode for 49 minutes but I was able to knock out a bit over 4mi before I had to head home.

While I would rather ride Hartshorne, it's really not a bad place to go if you're close and want to get in a quick ride.

I live about 5 minutes away from CQ. I should really use this place to my advantage and do some quick rides after work and the weekends. it would really help my cycling out a lot since I don't have time to get to better places with busy work schedule and the kids..... even if I could add 2 hours per week to my riding it would be a great help

Pat
 

Lupob6

New Member
There is an entrance to the back of the park by the parkway entrance. Cheesequake charges $5 a head during the "season".

For all those that want to check it out for free
 

njracer

Member
There is an entrance to the back of the park by the parkway entrance. Cheesequake charges $5 a head during the "season".

For all those that want to check it out for free

I got to the gate a bit before 5pm and it was free to get in. I also know about the Parkway entrance but I'm not sure I want to risk a ticket parking in the commuter lot without a permit.
 

steviesax

Member
is there still a full white loop? i was visiting the in-laws in matawan over the weekend and went to check it out. down where it's supposed to loop near the commuter lot it seemed to end where there are a bunch of downed trees. maybe i just missed something...it was a confusing trail to figure out since there are unmarked forks and the trail spits you out on the fire road a few times and i guess you're supposed to know where the trail continues but none of the entrances have markers.

disappointing because what little 'multi-use' trail is there i liked. in-laws are only 2 miles away so it's nice to hit without driving.
 
It is OK if you are like 10 minutes or less from it. I went there two months ago for the first time after Sandy, and I almost didn't recognize the place. I think something like 30% of the trails just don't exist anymore.

It's not very much fun, or interesting, but it will give you a workout if that is what you are after.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I was in there a couple weeks back and the White loop was open and rideable. The section closest to the Commuter lot has a lot of trees down so I'd skip that part.

It's unfortunate they don't open the other side to bikes, there are some fun trails in there.

-Jim.
 

shawneeboy

Member
For those looking for a more recent update -- rode here about a month ago. It was after some decent rain. The trail was wet and stuff but it was in good shape. A couple of trees were down but it was a lot of fun.

Like the people who commented before me, if you're looking for a QUICK ride, its not a bad place to hit up. Rode the whole place in around 40 mins to an hour.
 

wonderturtle

Well-Known Member
Personally, if you are short on time and need a quick ride. Just get off exit 114 and go to Tatum. Just as convenient as cheesquake but MANY more miles to ride. Yes, i know, as far as "mountain biking" is concerned Tatum is lame but if you're short on time you can't be too picky.

Pre-Sandy cheesequake was very small...fun...like a mini Clayton.... If you know Clayton calling something a mini Clayton means there are not a lot of trails (3 miles?). But after sandy there's even fewer trails and those that are left have lots of downed trees. So unless, some major work has been done within the last year or so, cheesequake is a complete waste of time (I made the mistake twice).
 
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shawneeboy

Member
Personally, if you are short on time and need a quick ride. Just get off exit 114 and go to Tatum. Just as convenient as cheesquake but MANY more miles to ride. Yes, i know, as far as "mountain biking" is concerned Tatum is lame but if you're short on time you can't be too picky.

Pre-Sandy cheesequake was very small...fun...like a mini Clayton.... If you know Clayton calling something a mini Clayton means there are not a lot of trails (3 miles?). But after sandy there's even fewer trails and those that are left have lots of downed trees. So unless, some major work has been done within the last year or so, cheesequake is a complete waste of time (I made the mistake twice).

Always looking for quick places to ride - thanks for the feedback....do you have GPS coordinates for Tatum?
 
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