Mountain bike park?
- Thread starter tankhead
- Start date
During my ride yesterday I snapped these pictures. In researching a mtb park between routes 47and 347 at the horn I haven’t found anything other than a Maurice river corridor study to increase recreation tourism in the area along with many proposed bike ways. JORBA was mentioned about the Bluffs but nothing about the proposed mountain bike park. That area looks on sat maps to be sugar sand mining remains. Admittedly, I have not been to the horn but frequent hunters mill road semi regularly and started mtbiking on either side of it in the nineties riding enduro trails.
Anyone have any intel? I’m intrigued
Anyone have any intel? I’m intrigued
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
Is there a date on the map?
Walked back there (area recommended by the BSF superintendent for a MTB trail) w/ Al Jax, Jim C., & @Frank many years ago. Yes to sand mining. Looked like a large overgrown borrow pit w/ many soft 20' rises. There was also an old forgotten small cranberry bog encircled with a dike and a decrepit bridge over the stream that fed it. Even though we were painted w/ Deep Woods Off, we were sill covered in ticks.
Didn’t see one. Can’t imagine many miles there cause slap dab in the middle of that triangle is a branch of a river. Maybe a skills park, pump track??? Who knows
Edit: I posted this before I saw slingblade’s comment
Edit 2: the signs looked relatively new and as I rode around that area I saw two more of those signs. One at the lighthouse entrance and one in RT 47 heading south from lighthouse. Great day!! 25 miles of riding.
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Was it the part of the horn in the picture or across the street, the south side of hunters mill road which is private property that was recommended by BSF??
For reference: Hunter’s mill is the tiny road that cuts in the middle between 47 and 347
The visit to that parcel was fourteen years ago. That’s probably the age of the map you saw. Before visiting the parcel, and even before meeting the superintendent, a MTB’ing retired state park police officer, gave us a detailed map. It was state land. At that time. Don’t know if it still is. Never returned.
We've not heard anything about this parcel that I am aware of. Mike from the Sneakers and Spokes shop in Woodstown is researching possible trails on an old Bell South property, but its early stages and closer to Salem from there.
That whole parcel n-nw of Hunter's Mill is public land:
I wonder how mountain biking wound up on a sign without the project being finished?
Signs look new. But the map that they used... maybe not so much.
Maybe call the township along with the Belleplaine State Forest Office. Noticed that the F&W logo is there too. There are plenty of two-wheel off-road aficionados living in that "Tri-County" area that might be driving this proposed project. Remember even seeing a sweet jump-line (long gone) and pump-track (also long gone) in a nearby township's facility down that away. Give the township, the state forest, maybe Fish&Wildlife, a call for info and ask if they could use some help with the proposed bike park.
Maurice River Township, NJ | Official Website
mauricerivertwp.org
NJDEP | Belleplain State Forest | New Jersey State Park Service
NJDEP - Belleplain State Forest administered by the New Jersey State Park Service
www.nj.gov
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Belleplain state park police officer has no idea about that property as well as the woman who I spoke with before him when I called. They both sounded so excited to help…………… NOT.
Also called Maurice River township but alas no one was available to talk and I didn’t feel like leaving a message.
Oh well I’ll just assume it’s an old sign, nothing is there at the property, and carry on.
Also called Maurice River township but alas no one was available to talk and I didn’t feel like leaving a message.
Oh well I’ll just assume it’s an old sign, nothing is there at the property, and carry on.
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If I had to guess...
Its likely that the SJ Wheelmen, maybe Al Jax and Walt, had a hand in developing that map for the township. Maybe completed the map before the trail proposal focus shifted from the 47/347 triangle to the Lake Nummy Rec Area.
When I joke that, "everybody in sNJ knows Jim C". That statement extends to all three of the SJWheelmen that developed the BSF trail proposal. (Hopefully I remember the details about the three correctly.)
Al Jax is: a retired USDA Forestry Biologist; a world-known ornithologist that has written many peer reviewed papers; and has spent many years advocating for the bicycling community.
Walt is: retired from the NJ State Park Police; had also worked as a NJ Conservation Officer; and is one of those guys that can enjoy riding a bicycle 200+ miles in a day. His wife Lauri is a well-known, well-respected retired NJ State Biologist.
Jim C: is a retired A rider and motorcycle shop owner; was sponsored by KTM before owning that aforementioned Yamaha shop; and started racing MTBs at 70 yo.
Such a powerful trifecta of trail advocates comes along... not very often.
Put the ATUG guys, the Wharton Crew, and some funny roaming trail gnome named Bill, into that SJWheelmen-BSF mix, and you have some good fun times. One day when I'm both bored and over-caffeinated, I'll write some more about it.
Home: SJ Wheelmen Bicycle Club
The South Jersey Wheelmen Bicycle Club serves recreational and touring cyclist. Based in Vineland area, but has club bike rides and century bike rides through Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties of South Jersey.
www.sjwheelmen.org
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