Trail Riding in NJ, NY, PA???? Please Help!

well welcome to the megalopolis,not much open land as your finding out.for the mixed crew your running with try paragon adventure park in hazleton, pa there is a good mix of trails that will keep the quads happy too.get ready to be punished by the pennsy rocks though.jack frost resort is another spot but is more moto oriented,limited trails.NJOHV park in chatsworth nj is another option as well,have'nt been there but hear its fun.good luck and be careful if you go any where that is'nt a ride park.there is VERY low tolerance for offroading in the region and some places they confiscate your ride.

Parragon is a pay to ride place, but lots of folks like it alot. You can check their website at

www.paragonap.com


I think they are roughly an hour to an hour an a half drive for you, but not positive exactly... would be I-80 west into PA then I-81 south, but you can likely get a better idea with a bit of map scouring.


We ride in the same general area as parragon but not on their property. The area is good for riding with lots of abandoned strip mines, technical trails, hillclimbs, etc. I would highly recommend taking a trip to parragon one weekend (there is camping close by but not on sight, and motels within short driving distance if you want to spend the whole weekend.)

Cheers,
Sabooo

You can't beat Tower City in central PA, hands down !! More square acreage than you can ride in a single season and terrain for all different skill types. Tight single track, fire roads, hill climbs you name it. It's a very organized club that leases the land from the owner, and they provide plenty of day parking and even camping spots available. Check out their web site at Tower City Trail Riders Inc.

There are lots of trails closer, butnone of it legal.  There are a few places where the police will not bother you as long as you are not causing trouble, and stay away from houses so the neighbors don't complain.  Some people will tell you to go to the pine barrens in S. Jersey, but be careful there, they have been cracking down on riding in the area.

Tower City is a great place to ride, but you need to be a member, or the guest of a member to ride there.  As for Paragon, it is $25 a day, or I believe $40 for a weekend.  I am at Paragon every weekend, sometimes leading trail rides, sometimes just enjoying the ride.  There is a DRN ride at Paragon on May 3-4.  Here is the thread http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74267 It should be about a 1 3/4 hour ride for you.   If ou plan a Sunday ride at Paragon, let em know and I will show you some of the better trails they have.

Dan

If you would like, we can meet up some weekend and I'll show you the places we ride. Much of it is as scooter describes, pvt property that the owners tolerate people riding on so long as things are kept quiet. I would rather not post details in a public forum for fear of losing what we have, as I'm sure you can understand. My bike is currently in the shop, but we are tenatively riding this weekend if I get it back. Feel free to email me at sabooo@ptd.net.

As far as regulations go, PA basically requires that you are on approved lands riding a registered bike. Approved lands are hard to find as most State lands permit only utility quads and not bikes. The only way I know of to totally guarantee beyond any doubt that you are riding legally is to ride in a park (like parragon) or on lands belonging to a known entity who has given permission to ride it. That include clubs (ie Tower City.)

On the subject of cost, if the drive to tower city isn't a bother to you (it would be a few hours behind the wheel) Over the course of a season its MUCH cheaper to join there and ride it. Last i checked the annual dues for membership was @180 and that included 12 month acess with the exception of a few weekends that involve conflict with some shared lands also used by a hunting club. But distance is the biggest factor for you on that, i'd think. Parragon is certainly reasonable for the benefits it provides.

Best wishes as you settle into your new surroundings, and i look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Sabooo