Difficulty Rating:
5 out of 5
Another route through Ringwood, mostly on singletrack. It traverses the whole White Crossover Trail.
This is a challenging route, not for the beginner to mountain biking. Sections cannot be ridden, or at least by anyone I know, but keep in mind the famous anonmyous quote that walking is mountain biking too. Don't be disappointed with walking your bike, some sections are a challenge to ride, but once ridden they are satisfying. However, sections that might be possible to ride are best cased out before attempting; ledges with steep drop offs appear suddenly on rideable stretches.
And walk you will. Especially descending the white trail from Ligenstein Rock to the Cannonball Trail. It is short, less than 0.2 miles, but it is steep. You might be able to ride sections of it, but at your own peril. This is not the place to tempt fate. The walk down will take all of 5 minutes under good conditions. The view from Ligenstein Rock might just be the best view of the Manhattan skyline we can access by bike. If clear, you can see all the way from the GW Bridge to the Verrazano Bridge.
Although only 18 miles, of which 10 are on roads, this is not easy or quick. Off road is spent crossing and traversing 2 ridges of Ringwood, west to east.
Restrooms at Skyland Manor in Ringwood have both a water fountain and a drink machine.
Ride this one cautiously as it will take you to unfrequented areas of the park.
Note that there is a gate you must go around at the bottom of Bear Swamp Road. And Route 202/Ramapo Road has a poor shoulder as well as poor site lines for oncoming traffic that winds up a narrow, 2 lane arrangement.
HS 9/23/2019
