first timer questions

[notwist]

I'm planning on doing the Orange loop this Saturday. It'll be my first time riding here. Is there anything I need to know regarding hunters? Is it hunting season? Also, is this trail mostly dirt or is there any sand?

 

[slingblade_uhhuh]

Hunting season info at a link in this post.
http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28331

The trail is packed and fast, with a few short soft sand sections near the start (where there are frequent preventative burns) and where the trail crosses double track.

You can find the Wharton Forest office phone number and other good stuff at http://wharton.jorba.org

 

[notwist]

thanks! from reading that info it looks like bow season is in affect. do people typically still ride this time of year or just stay out until the season is over? I was really hoping to ride but dont want to chance anything

 

[Davesnhere]

I ride there year round...so far never had a problem with any hunters. Only week I stay away is during the Shotgun Deer season(usually the first week of December). I've been finding that most hunters stay far enough off the trail that I rarely see one on, or near the trails...(not to say that they aren't there). I also always wear bright colors, and stick to the trails. There's a pretty regular group that rides on most Sundays, usually 3 to 4 and they meet in the lot at 7:30am....myself I'm usually in the lot around 9ish, and my favorite ride is the green to orange to blue and back to orange/green loop (20-21 miles)...YMMV

 

[Arwen's Mom]

put a bell on your bike

 

[Patrick]

Wear Orange! can't hurt.

 

[notwist]

thanks for the advice! i'll be sure to wear some bright clothing. one more question.. in the trail map, it says the orange trail is 19 miles.. does this include the green trail as well? if not - what's the total mileage of the green and orange trails?

 

[slingblade_uhhuh]

The orange (Penn Branch Trail) is a 19 mile ride, from trailhead back to trailhead.
Moray42 wrote a good description of Wharton trails in this recent Estell Manor thread...
http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28429

Skip the bell during bow season. The hunters prefer that you pass through quietly. And like Dave sez, for real... stay out of there during shotgun season, Dec 3-8 2012.

 

[slinky]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but what is Wharton like? Compared to Allaire and Clayton

 

[moray42]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but what is Wharton like? Compared to Allaire and Clayton

Allaire, similar is soil type. Mix of occasional sand and hardback. Wharton is not as root, so none of the smaller drops or dips that come with the roots. Also, the elevation change is quicker at Allaire where there are hills. Wharton is significantly flatter, and changes in what elevation is there is more gradual. Wharton is also tighter singletrack and a bit more twisty. Both have mileage.

Clayton isn't really all that similar to either. Smaller park, bit more clay mix hardback with sand, and hills😀. Not comparable.

 

[notwist]

I rode wharton last weekend and had a great time. thanks for the tips! i didn't really have a planned route so i just explored the trails on my CX bike. i ended up riding parts of the green, orange, blue, white and red trails. i hope to hit it again next time in the area.

 

[map204]

put a bell on your bike

I normally use a bear bell for smaller, more crowded places like Ceres and GCC, but I don't here. It's like $1.50 at Dick's and keeps me from literally running into other riders. I'm not so concerned about the hunters, but I wear bright colors anyway. I hadn't thought of it until I read this thread, but I'll stay away in early December now...