Questions, questions, questions

T

tlnj

Guest
Hey all,

Are any trails legal on the Ramapo Lake side besides canonball and yellow (and Indian Rock).

I usually take yellow down the hill from the upper lot, which is a blast. Is canonball any better?

Is there an opportunity for a loop with the Indian Rock trail or is it an out and back deal?

Also, I've heard that there's a trail off of canonball near the top or middle of the hill closest to the upper lot. Anyone have any info on this?

Any other beta on hidden trails in this area or good routes starting from the upper lot would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
The new cannonball re-route is a blast...
have you gone all the way down cannonball past 287?

I usually park at the soocer field (pompton lakes) and take cannonball all the way to the lake. Go around the lake, take a short blue section then back to the lake towards Yellow. I usually climb up yellow to the Skyline lot, then mess around the small single track there (unmarked) which is a very small loop (I dont know why I like). After that if u wanna keep the ride on THIS side of Skyline, you can take the new white by the parking lot. it will intersect with cannonball, make a left and follow cannonball all the way to the fireroad. You can make a sharp left and take an unmarked trail with a huge built up log roller. This is a short trail that will take you to the lake. OR you can make a right and climb the fireroad towards the "castle ruins/water tower". From the ruins take white towards water tower and lookout. Follow it and you will be dumped by the pipeline. You can bomb down the pipeline to your first fireroad (on your left) and take that towards the lake. Then you can take the fireroad around the lake towards cannonball and back to soccer field OR if you parked at the top you can go to the opposite direction and climb back to the Skyline lot via the Yellow or Cannonball.

I think I just confused you more :eek: . I had a home-made map in another thread below this. I think you posted there too.

There are a few unmarked trails too which are fun to mix things up.

And if you decide to go to the other side of Skyline drive, well there are a few more options including Yellow & Cannonball...very techincal sections over there :getsome:
 
T

tlnj

Guest
The new cannonball re-route is a blast...
have you gone all the way down cannonball past 287?

I usually park at the soocer field (pompton lakes) and take cannonball all the way to the lake. Go around the lake, take a short blue section then back to the lake towards Yellow. I usually climb up yellow to the Skyline lot, then mess around the small single track there (unmarked) which is a very small loop (I dont know why I like). After that if u wanna keep the ride on THIS side of Skyline, you can take the new white by the parking lot. it will intersect with cannonball, make a left and follow cannonball all the way to the fireroad. You can make a sharp left and take an unmarked trail with a huge built up log roller. This is a short trail that will take you to the lake. OR you can make a right and climb the fireroad towards the "castle ruins/water tower". From the ruins take white towards water tower and lookout. Follow it and you will be dumped by the pipeline. You can bomb down the pipeline to your first fireroad (on your left) and take that towards the lake. Then you can take the fireroad around the lake towards cannonball and back to soccer field OR if you parked at the top you can go to the opposite direction and climb back to the Skyline lot via the Yellow or Cannonball.

I think I just confused you more :eek: . I had a home-made map in another thread below this. I think you posted there too.

There are a few unmarked trails too which are fun to mix things up.

And if you decide to go to the other side of Skyline drive, well there are a few more options including Yellow & Cannonball...very techincal sections over there :getsome:

thanks man, I printed your map. Do you know if the yellow trail down by the lake is legal, or any other trails off of the lake for that matter?
 

MNicolosi

New Member
the bottom half of the yellow trail near the lake is not legal. If I remeber correctly this is where the yellow and red are combined correct.....???? Pretty sure that's hiking only....

If you are looking to include Indian Rock in your loop (great trail by the way) you can do the following....

-park at the top lot on skyline
-take the white trail at the north end of the lot
-this will eventually intersect with the cannonball
-make a left onto the cannonball (this will take you down to the lake) be mindful that the CB crosses that upper paved road and takes you down a sweet new section with switch backs, etc.
-take that all the way to the lake
-once you get there, make a right, keeping the lake to your left
-shortly therafter you will see a fire road on your right, it's marked blue, take it all the way up, to the end.
-that will spit you out on the pipeline (loose rocky terrain, but has some fun sections) MAKE A LEFT there....
-follow that down for a while and keep your eye on the left for the indian rock trail head
-make a left on to indian rock and take that baby all the way up
-once back to the lake, keep it to your left again, cruise around until you pass over the dam
-take the paved road until you get to the yellow trail head on the right and take that back to the top lot.

that should get your heart pumping.... have fun.....
:D
 

VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
The new cannonball re-route is a blast...
have you gone all the way down cannonball past 287?

I usually park at the soocer field (pompton lakes) and take cannonball all the way to the lake. Go around the lake, take a short blue section then back to the lake towards Yellow. I usually climb up yellow to the Skyline lot, then mess around the small single track there (unmarked) which is a very small loop (I dont know why I like). After that if u wanna keep the ride on THIS side of Skyline, you can take the new white by the parking lot. it will intersect with cannonball, make a left and follow cannonball all the way to the fireroad. You can make a sharp left and take an unmarked trail with a huge built up log roller. This is a short trail that will take you to the lake. OR you can make a right and climb the fireroad towards the "castle ruins/water tower". From the ruins take white towards water tower and lookout. Follow it and you will be dumped by the pipeline. You can bomb down the pipeline to your first fireroad (on your left) and take that towards the lake. Then you can take the fireroad around the lake towards cannonball and back to soccer field OR if you parked at the top you can go to the opposite direction and climb back to the Skyline lot via the Yellow or Cannonball.

I think I just confused you more :eek: . I had a home-made map in another thread below this. I think you posted there too.

There are a few unmarked trails too which are fun to mix things up.

And if you decide to go to the other side of Skyline drive, well there are a few more options including Yellow & Cannonball...very techincal sections over there :getsome:

E - hook 'em up with your map!
 

VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
thanks man, I printed your map. Do you know if the yellow trail down by the lake is legal, or any other trails off of the lake for that matter?

Yellow is legal...I'd stay off the narrow blue by the lake though.

I wouldn't go out of my way to see that 'castle'...it's really just an old broke down tower.
 

MNicolosi

New Member
ps. narrow blue from the bottom lot to the lake is pretty much a no-no for mtb riders. the blue I referred to is on the opposite side of the lake and is more like a fire road. ;)
 
T

tlnj

Guest
the bottom half of the yellow trail near the lake is not legal. If I remeber correctly this is where the yellow and red are combined correct.....???? Pretty sure that's hiking only....

If you are looking to include Indian Rock in your loop (great trail by the way) you can do the following....

-park at the top lot on skyline
-take the white trail at the north end of the lot
-this will eventually intersect with the cannonball
-make a left onto the cannonball (this will take you down to the lake) be mindful that the CB crosses that upper paved road and takes you down a sweet new section with switch backs, etc.
-take that all the way to the lake
-once you get there, make a right, keeping the lake to your left
-shortly therafter you will see a fire road on your right, it's marked blue, take it all the way up, to the end.
-that will spit you out on the pipeline (loose rocky terrain, but has some fun sections) MAKE A LEFT there....
-follow that down for a while and keep your eye on the left for the indian rock trail head
-make a left on to indian rock and take that baby all the way up
-once back to the lake, keep it to your left again, cruise around until you pass over the dam
-take the paved road until you get to the yellow trail head on the right and take that back to the top lot.

that should get your heart pumping.... have fun.....
:D

Thanks man. I have ridden the Indian rock trail, which is a blast. I hooked up with it off of Cannonball (just a bit after CB hooks to the right away from the fire road, south side of lake). If you take it frpom there and shoot out to the pipeline you'll see that there's a newly blazed (orange) trail which also eventually spits you out onto the blue trail on the norhtern side of the lake.

Be forewarned: this new trail is not exactly pristine, flowing single track, but it has a lot of potential with better maintenance.
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
New orange????????? :hmmm::hmmm::hmmm: How did I miss this..?

I haven't seen any signs that prohibit MTB on the Blue trail to the bottom lot:confused: I know that is the main trail hikers take so I normally don't ride it anyway 'cause I have to stop too many times and yield :mad:
 

VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
I've always wondered if those "Foot Traffic Only" signs put up by the NY/NJ Trail Conference on the "lower Blue" trail were authorized by the state :confused:. No problemo either way, just asking if the tail's wagging the dog, or vice versa. Haven't been on the other side of Skyline in a while; that signage still up there too?
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
I haven't seen those signs in the Blue trail, are they new? It's been a long time since I've been on it.
 

MNicolosi

New Member
No problem, I will definately have to check out the orange... I haven't ridden Indian Rock in a while...

The lower blue is not prohibited, it's just a pain like you said....
 
C

Cthulhu

Guest
Anyone have a good map of thses trails that I could print? Once my chain is fixed I plan on heading out.
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
Blown away by Ramapo:

I've always meant to explore the Ringwood/Ramapo trails but rarely do I. I guess i have had too many bad experiences there, too many fire roads, etc. Whenever i planned on riding there i would always opt for Wawayanda, Allamuchy, or Blue Mountain where i know how to hit the good stuff.

Bad experience 1) Ringwood just seems like it has too many fireroads.
Bad experience 2) Didn't like Cannonball from Skyline going into Ringwood. Just didn't seem maintained, felt like i was making my own trail.

Then today i finally hit up Ramapo from the very bottom of Cannonball trying to follow Elzrollers map and route (thanks for that). And i was extremely happy with what i found. the way up to the lake from the lot was good, enough to get a great warmup. Then i got lost from the directions and ended up going up the white trail from gas line, which kicked ass. Walked down from the castle ruins and then took Cannonball towards the upper lot. One of the best techy climbs i've ever ridden, well done. Took the yellow from the upper lot out to the blue and out on the blue towards the lower skyline lot, which was a mistake because we had to take the road back to the soccer field. Anyways i had no idea that good stuff was in there and i'll be back very soon.

Want to take the white from the upper lot across the street and down to near the lower lot, is that fun?
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
Elzoller or anyone else that knows: I was thinking of looping in the white trail from the upper lot. I was wondering, how is the riding on the section of the white that goes out on the other side of Skyline from the lot and then curves back over Skyline and ends on the Blue trail? Is it techy, rideable, fun?
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
the NEW white trail from the upper lot will dump you by the service road almost @ Skyline Sr where you can cross to take Yellow/Cannonball towards Ringwood.

But I think you mean the other white connecting from the Blue from the lower lot
I think that is hiking only. It crosses Skyline somewhere between the upper & lower lot and then it loops around some fire road an up towards the upper lot (i don't remember if it is white there) I haven't been there in ages.

There is a fun downhill if you go from the upper lot and cross Skyline, I guess it is the white, but then you are stuck and it is a pain to get back. Again I haven't been there in years.

I stick to the lake side or across towards Ringwood (yellow)

I hope this helps, because I just read it and it confused the hell out of me :(
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
Thanks Elz. Saved me from venturing out on the white with the precious little time i have when i get out there after work.

If you ride on the weekends at a more casual pace i would like to meet up sometime.
 

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