Kid Friendly Trails?
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i'd recommend going out to the columbia trail and parking in califon.
Keep the ride short, and only go if the weather is nice.
Then walk up the hill a bit to the Califon General Store for ice cream, or the pastry shop (i can't remember the name)
can also do this in frenchtown on the canal path (or lambertville)
the combos will make it more fun.
once confident starting/stopping and dealing with others on the trail, the next
visit would be to Six Mile Run - go out of canal lot, or Jaques lane lot.
again, keep the first rides short - pack lunch and bring some binoculars -
probably see some cool birds and rabbits. maybe a fox.
post pictures!!
Hopefully the kids racing league will happen this year, and you could bring her to spectate.
get a little stoke going.
make it fun!!!!
Keep the ride short, and only go if the weather is nice.
Then walk up the hill a bit to the Califon General Store for ice cream, or the pastry shop (i can't remember the name)
can also do this in frenchtown on the canal path (or lambertville)
the combos will make it more fun.
once confident starting/stopping and dealing with others on the trail, the next
visit would be to Six Mile Run - go out of canal lot, or Jaques lane lot.
again, keep the first rides short - pack lunch and bring some binoculars -
probably see some cool birds and rabbits. maybe a fox.
post pictures!!
Hopefully the kids racing league will happen this year, and you could bring her to spectate.
get a little stoke going.
make it fun!!!!
1TrackMind
Well-Known Member
That is good advice above. I also take my kids 3,5 and 7 to Landsdown in Clinton, like the D&R but shorter and less crowded. It leads to the coopalong which is slightly more like singletrack, ice cream shops are in town as well.
My kids, especially the 5 year old love high bridge pump track.
I live behind echo hill park in Clinton, it has short but nice entry level trails for kids, some hills they may need to walk but they are short, there is playground and pond so you can mix it up with play and fishing. It is small, so not a destination for just biking. you can also piece together trails from the south branch park and they will feel like they are doing real mountain biking.
I plan on scouting out the French town preserve, which would be perfect if doable for them, wife and 3 year old can tear up the canal path and we can do the preserve.
My kids, especially the 5 year old love high bridge pump track.
I live behind echo hill park in Clinton, it has short but nice entry level trails for kids, some hills they may need to walk but they are short, there is playground and pond so you can mix it up with play and fishing. It is small, so not a destination for just biking. you can also piece together trails from the south branch park and they will feel like they are doing real mountain biking.
I plan on scouting out the French town preserve, which would be perfect if doable for them, wife and 3 year old can tear up the canal path and we can do the preserve.
iman29
Well-Known Member
When my kids were young the lesson I learned is to keep it simple. Any gravely or dirt type trail makes them feel like "real" mountain biking compared to your own perspective.
Great advice from above to mix it into some other activity so if its a bust one time, you can choose something else to do and try again next time.
I live right near Columbia trail on the Flanders side, but when they were young I had to drive to one of the parking lots in Long Valley to get a good starting point. They get tired quick so agree also bring snacks, drinks or take a break to look at some nature stuff.
Here's the NJ NICA league link Pat mentioned. With COVID they didnt have any spectators last season but maybe this spring things will turn the corner. Race weekend is a such an awesome event when its full on that should spark some interest.
www.newjerseymtb.org
Dont forget - have fun!
Great advice from above to mix it into some other activity so if its a bust one time, you can choose something else to do and try again next time.
I live right near Columbia trail on the Flanders side, but when they were young I had to drive to one of the parking lots in Long Valley to get a good starting point. They get tired quick so agree also bring snacks, drinks or take a break to look at some nature stuff.
Here's the NJ NICA league link Pat mentioned. With COVID they didnt have any spectators last season but maybe this spring things will turn the corner. Race weekend is a such an awesome event when its full on that should spark some interest.
New Jersey Interscholastic Cycling League
www.newjerseymtb.org
Dont forget - have fun!
I’ve taken my grandson (age8) to Mercer. It’s easy, flat and gives a young rider the feel of real trail riding without any tricky challenges. Also, it’s easy to bail out if fatigue sets in since there’s always blacktop back to the parking lots.
good call - i forget the stuff just out of the marina lot to the west is flat and fun - with a couple little challenges that aren't hard to walk.
The hardest thing to manage is your expectations and your perspective of what is hard/easy. At 6, they will ride stuff you never expected and they will also get tripped up on stuff you never expected. Even Mercer will be a challenge with the turns, loose soil and roots.
take them to the local skatepark to work on going up and down, riding down steeper ramps. It builds a good skill foundation and it is a lot fun and you can ride too without having to ride 3 mph on a trail.
and, they can take a lot more than you can think, I did an 8 mile towpath ride with my 5 year old twins and it was like 90 degrees and humid. https://strava.app.link/o74NRyzr9db
They are still with us
take them to the local skatepark to work on going up and down, riding down steeper ramps. It builds a good skill foundation and it is a lot fun and you can ride too without having to ride 3 mph on a trail.
and, they can take a lot more than you can think, I did an 8 mile towpath ride with my 5 year old twins and it was like 90 degrees and humid. https://strava.app.link/o74NRyzr9db
They are still with us