Catskills High Peaks Sweep · short arc

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fuel stop near Pelham Manor

   Planning note

   Catskills High Peaks Sweep is where the day begins. Next is New York / Hudson Valley rides return.

2. 2. Near West Milford, on the way back

   Most people never imagine New Jersey like this: big hills, dense hardwood forest, granite ridges and deep, clear lakes, with barely a house in sight. The northern part of the state, along the border with New York, is the New Jersey Highlands, an old chain of rounded mountains, and this spot near West Milford, Ringwood and Greenwood Lake lies right in the middle of them. Black bears live here, and so do rattlesnakes, and much of the land is protected forest and state park.

   Read the complete Near West Milford, on the way back write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   New York / Hudson Valley rides return comes up 56 km in. Next is Food stop in Mendham.

3. 3. Food stop in Mendham

   The winter of 1779 to 1780 was one of the harshest on record, and the Continental Army spent it in huts at Jockey Hollow, a few miles east of Mendham, short of food, clothing and pay. Soldiers froze, starved and deserted, and some mutinied, yet the army survived. The site is now part of Morristown National Historical Park, with reconstructed huts, an old farmhouse and quiet woodland trails, and it is a moving place to stop.

   Read the complete Food stop in Mendham write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   A break here. Next is Photo stop near Lincroft.

4. 4. Photo stop near Lincroft

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Lincroft, about halfway. Next is Catskills High Peaks Sweep checkpoint 8.

5. 5. Near Fort Hamilton

   The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge leaps across the entrance to New York Harbor between Brooklyn and Staten Island, and this ride's start and finish sit at its foot, near Fort Hamilton on the Brooklyn side and Fort Wadsworth across the water. When it opened in 1964, the bridge had the longest suspension span in the world, and it is still one of the most impressive structures in the city, especially at dawn or dusk, when its towers catch the light. Every November the New York City Marathon begins on it.

   Read the complete Near Fort Hamilton write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Catskills High Peaks Sweep checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is Catskills High Peaks Sweep high point.

6. 6. Highlands

   High ground is rare on the Jersey Shore, which is what makes Highlands special. The little town sits where the Shrewsbury River meets Sandy Hook Bay, at the foot of a steep wooded bluff, the Navesink Highlands, which rises abruptly from the water in one of the few real hills along the Atlantic coast south of New England. Down below are marinas, clam bars and a bridge over to the barrier beach; up above are old houses and the twin brownstone towers of the Navesink lighthouse.

   Read the complete Highlands write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Catskills High Peaks Sweep high point is the summit of this stretch. Next is Scenic stretch in Rockville Centre.

7. 7. Scenic stretch in Rockville Centre

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch in Rockville Centre closes the day.