Review Date
July 7, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: CraShRyDer7@gmail.com ,  Downhiller

Summary:
great place to train and ride pre-season. the it is actualy not very technical at all, but if you know your lines, it is very fast. its nice and rocky! most of the trails are more focused on xc/ all mountain riders. but there is a hidden freeride trail with a 15ft drop, a north shore, 25ft drop, and a nice 30ft roll in at the end. when it comes to dh trails, its kinda hard to find, but freeride trails is very hard to find. the dh trails are scattered between xc trails, or are trails that xc riders ride up. i am currently building a few strictly dh trails though, and a few seem like fun for freeride.

Recommended Route:
go to the 2nd parking lot on skyline drive, ride down the fire road, go stait untill theres a turn, keep going strait into the woods were u will see a trail, follow it, untill you see some single track, theres a fork in it, take a left. folow that and when you see a fireroad keep going strait and shoot out into a fast rocky trail as fast as you can. there are a few steep sections but it is mostely justa slight downhill with a lot of rock.but its decently fast. at the end take a left on the fireroad. follow and look to left, theres a trail that will take u to the lake. keep to the right on both the forks in that trail and it will lead you to a natural 7ft drop i make a trail to today. after that take a left, and take the trail to the right, dont take the bridge, and that will leed you the the bottom parking lot.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
anything steep, fast, and rocky is good there

Review Date
March 31, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: lou_b_83 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is some of the best riding in NJ. It is everything you could want. Single track, fire roads, and some drop offs. If you are looking for some fun here is the place to go.

Recommended Route:
Up, Up, Up, then down.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Cannonball Trail

Review Date
August 28, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: pdm362 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I rode Ringwood for the first time and this place is amazing. I've only been mountain biking for about a year and this place really tested how much I've learned. Ringwood has everything from ridiculous rock gardens, technical switchbacks, long climbs, and screaming downhills. You will never get bored because there is so much to keep challenging you. This place has really opened my eyes to mountain biking is really about. Three words for Ringwood: TECHNICAL!! TECHNICAL!!! TECHNICAL!!!

Recommended Route:
Take one day, bring your lunch and lots of water and ride the whole park its worth it especially for your first time.

Review Date
June 26, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: chr07627 ,  Racer

Summary:
Ringwood matches up with most of the highly-rated technical rides in the East that I've done --- mostly Xterra races, in Richmond, Round Valley NJ, Schiff Scout on Long Island, Garnet Hill in the Adirondacks and Blue Mountain in Peekskill NY. Ringwood has lots of variety, from standard fire roads to very tricky technical sections with lots of babyheads, roots and fallen tree jumps to grab your attention, so there is room for riders of all abilities, from newbie to expert. There are a lot of trails here and it is easy to get lost, so stick to one trail your first couple times out, hook up with someone else or bring a lot of bread crumbs to drop.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, swimming is open at Shepard Lake, also part of this state park and the parking fee is higher at that parking lot, so you can save a few bucks by parking at Lot D, where most of us park anyway ... although you do miss the beginnning of the official race route at the Shepard Lake lot. But you can get to that route from Lot D, with a bit of climbing.

To me, this is the best challenging place to ride in the NY/NJ metro area: within 45 mins of NYC, a well-built and maintained park and trail system, plenty of challenge and variety.

Review Date
November 27, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: Blue Jays ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Ringwood/Skylands presents a large number of trails that will take a considerable amount of time to explore in entirety. The trails are very well-maintained and you'll encounter far more people on mountainbikes than you will hiking or on horseback.

During certain seasons riders are advised to wear bright colors like blaze orange or neon yellow to prevent hunting accidents. It is probably a one-in-a-million chance, but better safe than sorry.

Fireroads and singletrack with varying levels of technicality will satisfy both intermediate and advanced riders. Rocks, roots, and steep switchbacks are plentiful, so this isn't someplace you would want to take someone to "introduce" them to mountainbiking.

Recommended Route:
Parking Lot C where the trails can be immediately accessed with a fairly steep climb...or you can ride on the road to warm the muscles before really jumping into the action. I don't believe it is possible to get truly lost at Ringwood/Skylands unless you are riding too close to dusk. You'll eventually encounter a roadway of some sort.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Cannonball Trail is located nearby and is apparently unmarked from the roadway. I've been advised it contains miles of challenging terrain that would be a pleasure to ride...provided dry conditions are prevailing.

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.