Mercer County Park Conditions

TAS

Well-Known Member
Ride report for Wed 4/24. Rode the entire park including Blue north and Van Nest.
Please avoid the blue trail section beginning on South Post road. Too Wet!!! Please enter at Conover road.
The rest of Blue North is OK with the exception of the usual wet spots near the double ponds.
The the new roadbed crossing the Red trail near the West Picnic area has been filled in.
The Red loop east of the east picnic area remains a swamp.
The "Hog Bog" on the Paxton Twisty is still wet, maybe a little bit better. Please walk it.

TAS
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Rode the "normal" routes through Van Nest (i avoid that wet trail by the access road) and it is mostly good to go. It is wet on the trail just below the dam and that trail also has water in the two usual stream crossing spots. They also finished paving the MUT at the west picnic area and some works needs to be done to smooth where the red trail crosses over the path. It isnt bad now, just needs some work.
Prime conditions for the weekend, I would expect the other is wet though.
 

TAS

Well-Known Member
Rode Van Nest and the south side on Wed.
Great conditions, a few slick spots here & ether....although the Hog Bog is still messy. Lovely afternoon.

This PITA tree was down in Van Nest. I went back there today to "remediate" it...

TM is tomorrow and now the way is clear for the brush hog!
Come on out tomorrow and join in the fun!

TAS
 

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TAS

Well-Known Member
Took a walk today on Blue, Folks please do not ride Blue or the north side until it dries out!!!! The trails are super soft muddy surface with puddles.
Blue by the lake is under water.
Took care of a downed tree on blue today And some pictures of the newly completed campsites on blue.. WTH?????
These "campers" had better have the best durned insect repellent money can buy.
Worst possible part of the park for bugs.
What were they thinking????
 

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Rusty

Well-Known Member
Any thoughts on van nest area Sunday morning? Too muddy still or worth a shot?
prob not too great judging from my back yard, which is 2.5 miles from there with similar drainage. I'd avoid the pax twist and expect deep puddles along the creek, but the rest of van nest might be ok. I'd avoid the east & north side entirely.
 

zmodica

Member
Just came off trails...parked at marina and rode in via red trail..if you know the park well then you'll know what is still wet ( below the dam) other than that it's very rideable today..lots of bikes going in as I left, you're welcome for me eating all the spiderwebs)
 
Van Nest is good....with the exception below the dam as per the previous post from zmodica & Rusty...I more or less stop and turn around where the creek has overrun the trail a short ways after the bridge...so I don't know what the rest of it, from that point on is like....it is where the old skinny bridge and the metal post used to be....but I will tell you I have carried my bike across worse back there...yeah, the girly side got the better of me today and I didn't want to go wading as to have something to talk about on mtbnj. Pax is still a mess, sadly, but a bullfrog has made it his/her own. Enjoy your rides, it's a good day for it. :).
 

TAS

Well-Known Member
Van Nest is good....with the exception below the dam as per the previous post from zmodica & Rusty...I more or less stop and turn around where the creek has overrun the trail a short ways after the bridge...so I don't know what the rest of it, from that point on is like....it is where the old skinny bridge and the metal post used to be....but I will tell you I have carried my bike across worse back there...yeah, the girly side got the better of me today and I didn't want to go wading as to have something to talk about on mtbnj. Pax is still a mess, sadly, but a bullfrog has made it his/her own. Enjoy your rides, it's a good day for it. :).
About Pax.... It's now so wet in that area we cannot even begin to dig or move any soil. It's on the "To Do" list... We just don't have a "when" yet!
I may get in there this week and begin trimming more brush so that when we do start digging it's cleared.

TAS
 
Was out for a ride today and removed it. There was another tree near the tennis center got that one too. Have Silky Saw:banana:...... will travel!

TAS

There was another one....on the slalom....between tennis courts and marina....kind of makes a triangle and if you're moving along really good and you don't plan your move accordingly, it looks like it would give you a good brainer....I wish I had a silky saw....maybe I'll ask Santa.
 

TAS

Well-Known Member
There was another one....on the slalom....between tennis courts and marina....kind of makes a triangle and if you're moving along really good and you don't plan your move accordingly, it looks like it would give you a good brainer....I wish I had a silky saw....maybe I'll ask Santa.
Thanks for the reminder about that!
Yeah that is a certainly a potential head knocker if you are not paying attention. Up hill not so bad.... but down hill you had better be ready.
I had mentioned it to Mick. But it got lost in the all recent brush hog work....
I'll get out there in the next few days and see if I can clear it.
 
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Did a campground/trail recon walk today. Trails are very wet (no reason why they shouldn't be)....they have some nice Adirondack chairs in the handicapped campground also a handicapped adaptive picnic table...wonder how long it is going to take before someone rolls in with a pickup truck and carts them away....there is nothing chained down...not even the picnic tables. Also wondering how long is the fire extinguisher is going to stay in its little cubby. Guys, I'm not going to knock it...they did a good job with this...it's just the wrong type of park to do it in and the wrong space. FYI there is a rental bike kiosk by the 911 Memorial .... so you might see one of them loose on the trails.....also a ropes course is coming, it is in the MCPC Meeting Notes...you'll have to dig for it on their website...don't know if it is going to be in the Park or at Dam Site 21. Also, rode my boyfriend's Santa Cruz Tallboy for the first time....and I am not tall and...I am not a guy....but it was a wonderful ride nonetheless for a first time on a 29er....only wish it was longer but my boyfriend took a faceplant going around the curve on the trail by the volleyball courts.....there is some sort of bad juju about the trail by the volleyball courts and some hidden roots and stuff and him....
 

Big Al

Well-Known Member
Tree down on Red by East picnic. Can ride around. Possible mini reroute rather than cut tree. Also tree down on Son of Blue close to bridge. Shown in pic. About 16-18" diameter. Most of the park is a little overgrown except where the brush hog has been through lately. Still a little wet needs a little more time to dry out fully.
IMG_20190713_103121.jpg
 

TAS

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the updates. Haven't been out for a ride due to a foot problem.. Next TM is the 26th. Van Nest @ Quaker bridge road needs to be brush hogged as does Red, SOB and Blue north. Mick is on vacation this week and he has the equipment. I may take a crack at the tree in the pic with the big Silky saw. Hopefully it's a bit rotted and not rock hard standing deadwood!

TAS
 

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