Ringwood State Park Conditions

sundaydoug

Well-Known Member
>I start at Ryerson School but either will work.

I do almost that exact same loop starting at Ryerson. After Cat's Nest I ride the new white trail up from the bottom and then just turn around at the top to come back down. That trail is actually quite fun to climb and it's open enough to see when people are coming down.

I'd also recommend riding 6-bridges in a clockwise direction, there are a few nice natural rock jumps after you get that big climb out of the way in the beginning.

That's a great 8ish mile Ringwood loop, little bit of everything.
 

bucknejo

Well-Known Member
Lost in 30 minutes after taking Warm Puppy south from Lot C on Saturday morning. Ended up at the Ryerson school so I followed the red trail up a long climb. Came back down the way I went up, then took the school trail to duck pond trail back to Lot C.

Anyone know what part of the map this would be (red trail long climb)? My strava app decided to turn itself off somewhere in between so I have no record of where I was, and clearly my brain and sense of direction need improvement.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The school is right where black bear (school trail) meets ringwood/ramapo (red blaze). Make a few lefts at the top of red there and you end up on cat's nest/renegade, which you'll know you are on when you see a log with a face carved on it. That brings you out to ice pond fireroad. Let me know when you want to ride and I'll show you around.

This is the strava segment for the red climb from the school:
http://www.strava.com/activities/150669870/segments/3462281660

And this is cat's nest from the top of red there:
http://www.strava.com/activities/150669870/segments/3462281684
 
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bucknejo

Well-Known Member
Thanks Jim, the strava segment maps are very helpful! I saw a few single track cut-ins on my way up the red trail but was too chicken to drop in without a way to find my way back out so, yes - I think I'll take you up on that tour guide offer. I'm about average skill level and the same fitness-wise so if you're ok with that, I'll let you know the next time I'll be back to the park.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thanks Jim, the strava segment maps are very helpful! I saw a few single track cut-ins on my way up the red trail but was too chicken to drop in without a way to find my way back out so, yes - I think I'll take you up on that tour guide offer. I'm about average skill level and the same fitness-wise so if you're ok with that, I'll let you know the next time I'll be back to the park.

That's fine. Just PM me so I get an email.
 

Brozie

New Member
It's kinda hard to get lost here. Way out by sheppards lake or up piersons ridge is where a wrong turn can get you lost. It's NJ not VT so lost isn't really lost. Explore and remember always go down and it will funnel you back to a fire road and those lead back
 

Steve B

Member
With all due respect, I run into so many lost people here. All of them seem to be looking for Parking Lot C for some reason. There are few signs, the fireoads appear to have been designed for meandering access to nowhere, and it is very hard to find your way around, until you have been lost in the park a few times and see how the trails and the fireroads link up. Also, each of the available maps are missing something.

I'm considering offering a guided tour to anyone who attends at least one trail construction session. http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33254 Would I get any takers?
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I feel like it's hard to get really lost here. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten lost at Ringwood when I was first learning the trails, but not really lost. The fireroads don't make sense, but they are mostly marked and match the Jorba map. If you have a copy of the map and can find a fireroad, you can usually figure out where you are. Getting lost is part of finding your way around. You go home and look at your gps file and compare it to the map and see where you got lost. Then you always recognize that spot in the future and laugh about how you got lost there. I feel like with things like Maprika now, it just makes it too easy. I love going someplace totally new and getting that "I'm lost" feeling again.
 

VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
Rode the white trail from Wemble Pond to where it meets up with Warm Pup today...what a great trail!!!

Makes me feel guilty though for not helping Art W & crew more though...

Promise to make more Dirty Thursdays!!
 

Steve B

Member
Trail Modification Rant

Why, OH why do people have to take it upon themselves to do crappy trail modifications? I rode Ringwood today and it seamed everywhere I went on any of the unmarked singletrack, there were crappy trail mods done with piles of branches. The Fenceline trail is the worst of them all in this regard. Someone lined almost the entire trail with branches, and removed all "B-Lines" to create expert only obstacles. WHY?!?!?!? It looks like it was done by a small child, but probably more likely a "Mr. Helpful" who brags to his buddies he does trail work. Please Stop! Similar work done on Renegade and Double S trail. Stop the insanity!!!! Anyone with energy and good intentions should attend a trail work session with the JORBA crew.

END OF RANT
 

MannyL358

Well-Known Member
I’m with you man. The Black Bear trail is the worst. Whomever it is thinks they’re helping prevent widening and braiding of the trail. However, there're ways to do it without making it feel like you’re being chaperoned down the trail. It’s a bit ridiculous!
 

gingertooth

Active Member
it doesn't matter if its done right with stones and dirt or with piles of branches which i agree looks like shit. Someone always comes by and tears it apart. The problem here is that the trail you speak of has been altered by someone who know one here knows. That trails original state was altered by people like you who deicided to take into their own hands by making technical spots easier and that is no better than those who decide to pile crap up to prevent them from stopping the reroutes. I have done many of them and from personal experience no matter what you do to prevent people from altering the trails original state there going to mess with it. Ive been riding in ringwood for over 20 yrs and grew up there and you wouldnt believe how much singletrack there use to be then. If you cant ride it then walk it. The reason why some can ride it is because they never altered it and continued to try and one day will......
 
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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
IMO, the best way to keep people on a trail, is to make a trail that people want to ride, but in many cases peoples levels vary and this gets harder to manage. It is not a matter of who should ride it. I am a fan A and B lines. Let evryone have a shot at a good ride.

Lining the trails with rocks, sticks and dirt is not the best way to keep people on a trail. Aligning the trails across the fall line and bench cutting is ideal because it allows the water to sheet off the trail, and it is not easily altered by riders and rogue builders. 80% of trail widening and erosion is caused by poor alignment, not poor riders or poor construction.

What was observed 20 years ago is irrelevant, as 20 years ago, only now outdated hiker trail builder information was available to mountain bikers. Today many new proven guidelines have been compiled and presented in books from IMBA to make things easier for mountain bikers to manage. If you have any interest in building trails, not only should you read these books, they should be studied until these guidelines are always in the front of your brain.

Most rogue builders, do not follow updated guidelines or have access to labor and tools. They are easily discouraged when trails go to crap, and have no commitment to the park to encourage them to continue. The trails are generally not maintained and left to fall into disrepair or in this case get altered by new rogue builders.

Let me ask the public: Is it worth Jorba's time to bring this trail back to standards and risk a constant pissing match of vandalism, or should we leave it? You do not have to ride it if you do not like it.

Personally, I love the mountain bike experience too much to let this trail ruin my ride. I just ride elsewhere.

Enjoy your ride and have a happy 4th!
 
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greeek32

Active Member
With all due respect, I run into so many lost people here. All of them seem to be looking for Parking Lot C for some reason. There are few signs, the fireoads appear to have been designed for meandering access to nowhere, and it is very hard to find your way around, until you have been lost in the park a few times and see how the trails and the fireroads link up. Also, each of the available maps are missing something.

I'm considering offering a guided tour to anyone who attends at least one trail construction session. http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33254 Would I get any takers?
When I ride RW on weekends I carry a couple extra maps with me and 70% of the time I give them away with explanations of how to get from point A to B. Generally the people who are lost here are riding here for the first time, after that it seems people get the hang of it a bit.
 

Steve B

Member
Let me ask the public: Is it worth Jorba's time to bring this trail back to standards and risk a constant pissing match of vandalism, or should we leave it? You do not have to ride it if you do not like it.

Personally, I love the mountain bike experience too much to let this trail ruin my ride. I just ride elsewhere.

Ellen, thanks for weighing in. This illustrates the bigger picture, that the selfish rogue trail modifiers miss in their selfish attempt at self satisfaction (and we know another word for "self satisfaction, right?). When you take it upon yourself to crap up a trail, you discourage and discredit the admirable efforts of JORBA, who builds and manages sustainable trails for everyone to enjoy, just so that you can say you "fixed" a trail feature not to your liking. Like I said earlier, if you don't like the way the trails are being built / maintained, attend a trail work session with JORBA and see what real trail work is like. If you don't, you are just lazy and selfish. I agree, not every trail is going to be for everyone. But by the same token, no individual should take it upon themselves to illegally personalize a public trail to their selfish interests (not to mention the poor workmanship). It's great that people feel engaged in these trails, but you can't loose sight of the public nature of these resources. If you want to build a custom trail, do it on your private land. If you can ride A lines, my hat is off to your skills, but leave the B lines for us mere mortals. It's not like there is a shortage of super-techy singletrack here in Ringwood.
 
Came across a rattle snake today. Not sure the name of the trail. It was the short trail between the end of warm puppy and, I think, school house, or the fire road prior to school house.
 

gingertooth

Active Member
sometimes there is no option for a B line and when someone attempts to build one that doesnt work out it just make singletrack look like shit. That is when you need to walk it. There are many places in the US i'm sure you've seen ellen that have one line only. No one seems to have a problem with them. I dont have a problem with A or B lines its just that i prefer to ride singletrack and not doubletrack or trails that you dont know which way to go. I think Jorba is awesome but there trail building ideas dont cover everything in the mtb world. Building trails also requires erosion prevention from Mtbrs too and here in ringwood its obvious that many areas are just ignored and need a little bit of attention even if its laying a small log or a few rocks to get the point across.
 
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AJDMtnBiker

New Member
Rode skylands trails last night and it looks like someone vandalized one of the newly rock armored sections. many of the large rocks were overturned and piles also placed mid trail to block riders. We cleared it and did our best to patch holes but I'm not trail builder. Shame to see all this hard work being intentionally damaged.
 

Zaskar

Well-Known Member
Rode skylands trails last night and it looks like someone vandalized one of the newly rock armored sections. many of the large rocks were overturned and piles also placed mid trail to block riders. We cleared it and did our best to patch holes but I'm not trail builder. Shame to see all this hard work being intentionally damaged.

This is awful news.
 

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