Maurice River Bluffs Nature Preserve

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Freerider72

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MRBNP is a small preserve just south of Millville with about 6-8+ miles of mostly single track loops with sections ranging from easy to advanced with some features sprinkled around if you know where to look. These are multi-use trails so watch out for hikers, bird watchers, family picnics, ect. Really nice, little known, growing trail system with lots of potential. (Think mini Ceres, Jorba needs get a hold of this place, it could use some help and riders). Trail head parking at MRBNP sign on Silver Run rd. about 1 mile north of Laurel Lake.
 
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How are the trails here? Ive never heard of anyone riding it. Guess Ill have to swing by when things dry out and check it out.
 
Freerider72 said:
MRBNP is a small preserve just south of Millville with about 6-8+ miles of mostly single track loops with sections ranging from easy to advanced with some features sprinked around if you know where to look. These are multi-use trails so watch out for hikers, bird watchers, family picnics, ect. Really nice, little known, growing trail system with lots of potential. (Think mini Ceres, Jorba needs get a hold of this place, it could use some help and riders). Trail head parking at MRBNP sign on Silver Run rd. about 1 mile north of Laurel Lake.
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Sounds cool. :) I googled it and only found a preservation site which led me to believe it's hiking only, so I think I must have missed something here.:confused: Is there a link you can send, or a contact person and phone # at the park?

thanks,
Frank
 
Not too familiar with the standing of that area in particular, bit used to do field work for Rutgers. That maybe be under the Nature Conservancy: Delaware Bayshores. They were working to preserve some of the spaces where we worked in NW Cape May county. Their building is actually very near Belleplain. Sorry I don't have any contact info, but google should turn them up. Only taking a short time out at work, or i would have looked it up myself. At the very least I would think they'd know more about the park as I think they ran sme tours over there.
 
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Trails are great for the area, not too sandy and small hills. I'm only a mile away so it's an easy chioce for a quickie for me. Trails drain fast, I'm headed there now, 6 hrs after heavy rain, no problem...
 
gt2brew said:
Sounds cool. :) I googled it and only found a preservation site which led me to believe it's hiking only, so I think I must have missed something here.:confused: Is there a link you can send, or a contact person and phone # at the park?

thanks,
Frank
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Hard to find alot of info online, and the only trail map online is an old version missing about half the trails. There is a updated version at the trail head. And biking. We were told by some of the trail builders in the very beginning, is 100% ok. Just be respectful of the environment, trails & trail users....ie follow rules. probably a good spot for the bell.
 
Freerider72 said:
Hard to find alot of info online, and the only trail map online is an old version missing about half the trails. There is a updated version at the trail head. And biking. We were told by some of the trail builders in the very beginning, is 100% ok. Just be respectful of the environment, trails & trail users....ie follow rules. probably a good spot for the bell.
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Interesting, sounds like a recon is in order. Must check it out the next visit down south.
 
gt2brew said:
Sounds cool. :) I googled it and only found a preservation site which led me to believe it's hiking only, so I think I must have missed something here.:confused: Is there a link you can send, or a contact person and phone # at the park?

thanks,
Frank
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The first reply was actually to you also. lately it seems the bird watchers and hikers have not been out there as much, probably because they are mad at the racetrack. It's surprisingly loud out there at times. They have a lean too/bird blind on the river, benches, picnic tables, bridges, steps on the steep inclines, ect. It's pretty nice out there actually.
 
Ill prob head out there in the morning sometime this week. Its about 10 minutes away for me. Would be nice to add another local place to ride. Would you be willing to give a tour?
 
gt2brew said:
Interesting, sounds like a recon is in order. Must check it out the next visit down south.
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I had heard that there are some fairly high spots overlooking the river (near 30') so I imagine that there is pOtential for some fun stuff there. Now that it sounds like bikes are ok I may need to finally check the place out too.
 
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/newjersey/placesweprotect/delaware-bayshores-maurice-river-bluffs-preserve.xml This is where the map used to be but I don't see it there anymore. Some info anyway. Could certainly give a tour some time. Started riding local trails in the 80s. This trail system links right up to the whole areas "old" trails....giffords and beyond ect. It nice in the winter when your missing the DH parks big stuff, giffords has a few hidden jems tucked around. so I hear.... found the old map http://www.nature.org/ourinitiative...ct/mauriceriverbluffstrailsystem_maplarge.pdf
 
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moray42 said:
I had heard that there are some fairly high spots overlooking the river (near 30') so I imagine that there is pOtential for some fun stuff there. Now that it sounds like bikes are ok I may need to finally check the place out too.
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Yes some very cool spots(check google "images" "maurice river bluffs preserve nj"). lots of small hills(valleys actually) ranging from a few feet to about 30. maybe 45 total vert in some spots stretching from low tide to the highest spot in there. The is a new trail loop in the works that will add a few more miles.It's not on the map yet but if you know the area it's basically "river run" from the grain elevator ruins to the artesian well at the old wheatons pier site(yes you can drink there, refill camelbaks, take a bath... it runs 24/7 nonstop) and back. And As far as exact legallity of bikes I'm not 110% sure either. Because, I ride on hear-say from a some guy working on the trail a few years ago. I did notice on the entrance sign it said the trails were funded by the county. Thats a good sign for bikes usually. But we ride there all the time and so do a quite a few locals, for a few years now. And we have never ever had or heard of a problem.
 
Swung out there this morning for a quick ride. Not sure where there are 6-8 miles hiding as what I rode didnt come close to that. However, what I rode was surprisingly fun! Lots of short quick elevation changes and pretty good flow. Gonna have to meet up with you one day for a tour so i can find more miles.
 
Sjfxt said:
Swung out there this morning for a quick ride. Not sure where there are 6-8 miles hiding as what I rode didnt come close to that. However, what I rode was surprisingly fun! Lots of short quick elevation changes and pretty good flow. Gonna have to meet up with you one day for a tour so i can find more miles.
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Glad you enjoyed it! If you do every trail. orange, blue, red, yellow, white, and the new river run loop, you can find 7+ on the property. 50+ if you want to start crossing roads :). My friends and I would be happy to give a tour. Just let me know a little ahead & we'll be there. On most weekends we usually ride out of town, but we can certainly hook something up. Most of the trails have alot of fun elevation changes that progressively get larger toward the north end of the property. RP
 
I only rode red and blue. Orange looked like prime tick country so i didnt venture in there. Where does the yellow trail and the new trail jump off of? Might swing out there tomorrow morning and explore some more if my knee allows it.
 
Can someone give directions from say the Cumberland Mall? Is there a lot of sand around there? I live in Vineland, and am looking for some new places to ride in the area.
 
MRBNP map

The yellow trail is in progress, green is soon to be propsed, black trails are existing old/closed trails.
 

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lots of fun for s jersey. hardly any sand and anything but flat. the property continues about 1/8th mile north up the river beyond this map. There are some trails in there as well that are planned to be improved, opened & maintained in the near future as "bike only"
 
Freerider72 said:
lots of fun for s jersey. hardly any sand and anything but flat. the property continues about 1/8th mile north up the river beyond this map. There are some trails in there as well that are planned to be improved, opened & maintained in the near future as "bike only"
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The bike-only trails mentioned above were completed by the MRB trail crew. They have have a Facebook page, "Are You Bluffing Me?" at
https://www.facebook.com/MRBbiketrail/
 
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