Looking for information

[SingleTkr]

Hello fellow fat riders from NJ.

I am in the planning stages of an epic ride and I am seeking your help.

I am planning to ride as many beaches as I can from Maine to Florida.

I am specifically here looking for information about the NJ beaches and what is accessible and what is not. I have read Sandy Hook is off limits.

My route after riding the long island beaches was to drive to Sandy Hook and then head south but does not seem possible. How far south would I need to start? What areas are off limits besides Sandy Hook?

Thanks for your help.

 

[walter]

No beaches on Staten island? With the proper guidance you can ride beaches all the way to Sandy Hook. Traveling south, once you get to Sandy Hook, it may be kind of a bust because the hook goes north. If your goal is to just ride on specific beaches, then have at it. It's open all year long, just don't ride on the dunes.

 

[Magic]

I don't have anything to add, but good luck on those Maine beaches!

 

[SingleTkr]

No beaches on Staten island? With the proper guidance you can ride beaches all the way to Sandy Hook. Traveling south, once you get to Sandy Hook, it may be kind of a bust because the hook goes north. If your goal is to just ride on specific beaches, then have at it. It's open all year long, just don't ride on the dunes.

The plan is to take my car from beach to beach and ride loops back to the car. The fact that it goes north isn't an issue but I thought that I read since it part of Gateway that bikes were prohibited?

Riding every beach from Maine to Florida, even using my method of driving to each would take almost a year with the number involved and working out the tides. My wife is supportive and tolerant but not that tolerant lol.

I had planned to skip the beaches of the 5 boroughs so my route will go through Jones Beach. perhaps Long Beach and then continue on in NJ.

 

[SingleTkr]

I don't have anything to add, but good luck on those Maine beaches!

Beautiful isn't it? Northern Maine is tough for sure. I had planned on starting in Lubec, ME but the reality is that there is really nothing that is both rideable and accessible to the public until Machias, ME. I actually have 40 beaches on my route in Maine but the northern most are small pocket beaches until the mid and south coast where they get sandier and longer.

 

[Patrick]

what date range are you looking at?

depending on the bird season, and tourist season....
and i doubt you'd be bothered on alot of the beaches near sunrise.

Beaches near liberty state park
(forget staten island, you can't get the bike on/off it.) long island/long island ferry might extend your trip.
does it have to be on the sand? or does boardwalk and beach road count?

 

[SingleTkr]

I'd probably reach NJ around the first or second week of October. The plovers and terns should have fledged by then and headed south so I don't see that as a problem.
I'd want to keep to the beach. After I am done on long island I would drive on the belt parkway across the VZ narrows bridge. In re looking at the map I also see the FDR beach and Great Kills park which look to have beach. Were those the beaches near Liberty state park you were referring to? Then I'd continue on towards Sandy Hook.

 

[Patrick]

@jumpa - you posted some beach pics near liberty??
@Sandman98 / @Johnny Utah ? what do you have a little farther south?

maybe use the strava heatmap function also???

 

[qclabrat]

I know you're planning to skip the NYC beaches, but Coney Island, Manhattan, Rockaway, Long Beaches are really quite charming in the off season

 

[Johnny Utah]

@jumpa - you posted some beach pics near liberty??
@Sandman98 / @Johnny Utah ? what do you have a little farther south?

maybe use the strava heatmap function also???

South of Sandy Hook is all fair game down to Island Beach State Park and around. That is a solid run of beach riding, probably 40-50 miles if you do the full Island Beach loop starting at the southern tip of Sandy Hook, and that is one way.

From Island Beach you would have to gross the Barnegat Bay and head to LBI (Long Beach Island). I have not ridden or mapped that yet (LBI). But that should be fair game as well.

All of this is assumed you are riding them off season. Not sure what obstacles you may run in to during the season, but most of the Badged NJ beaches will probably be a no-no in summer as they like to collect fees.

 

[Sandman98]

Like Johnny said. You will have some obstacles during your beach route. Like in asbury you will do some road part going south because some are gated or no access areas. Down in manasquan beach theres the point pleasant canal and you cant go to the other side unless you take some road routhe going to point pleasant. After point pleasant you are good to go south to seaside heights to island beach which is the end of the barrier and you will take the road route again to go to barnegat beach.

 

[giff06]

Nothing to add for this part of the state other than what John and Sandy said. In the fall the beaches can be quite crowded with fisherman if the Striped Bass are running. I don't know of any regulations prohibiting beach use for the fat bike but I don't ask unless its private property which you shouldn't encounter on the ocean front.( at least down here anyway).
Ed

 

[jumpa]

There is a "beach" at liberty state park. its not worth riding nor is it very long. It also not exactly public access from what I can remember even though it's not fenced off. Park police told me they preffer people not go back there since its not patrolled often and if somthong happens your pritty much fucked. It does also border Marsh land that is deffinatly prohibited to be on.

@jumpa - you posted some beach pics near liberty??
@Sandman98 / @Johnny Utah ? what do you have a little farther south?

maybe use the strava heatmap function also???

 

[SingleTkr]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.