The long, wooded ridge of Sourland Mountain rises out of the farmland of Somerset County here, a lump of hard volcanic rock that resisted erosion while the softer land around it was worn away. The Sourlands are not high, but they are wild for New Jersey, with boulder fields, streams and forests, and they make a welcome change from the flat suburbs further east. It was on this ridge that Charles Lindbergh built his house, and from which his baby son was kidnapped in 1932, a crime that gripped the nation.
The surrounding countryside of Hillsborough and Montgomery is a mix of farms, horse paddocks, old villages and newer housing. Nearby, Duke Farms, the former estate of the tobacco heiress Doris Duke, is now a nature preserve with meadows, lakes and woodland, open to visitors. The Raritan River and its tributaries wind through the area, lined with trees and old mill buildings.
From the saddle it is pleasant and varied. The roads over the Sourland ridge are narrow and winding, with steep sections and blind corners, while the roads through the farmland are gentler. Traffic is moderate, but local drivers can be fast, and deer are a constant hazard. Surfaces can be rough after winter, and gravel collects in the corners.
Fuel, delis and diners are available in Hillsborough, Somerville and along Route 206, with attendants pumping as everywhere in New Jersey. A farm stand or a small café makes a good break. From the ridge, the views over the farmland are rewarding, especially in autumn, when the colours are at their best.