Represent

By Paul Glazowski

Cannonball Trail, NJ

Five minutes from I-287 in Oakland, New Jersey, is an inconspicuous trailhead. Only a minute red trail blaze hints at the treat of the locally renowned single-track hidden beneath the ascending treetops 100 yards north. Even the green expanse of a seemingly private soccer field, found just inside a short gravel drive, has you wondering whether you’ve got the right spot. You’re there. The secret’s out. Ride on. You’re on Cannonball Trail.

Nestled between the tall grass topped with dancing dragonflies, the first few yards of Cannonball are inviting—very inviting. Just a few seconds into the journey, you’re cranking up a rocky, twisting climb. You soon find yourself among the state’s signature jagged stones. A few dozen yards in and you’re on a strip of dry clay with notes of Utah in its breadth. Tree stump! If it’s been a rainy season, you’ll soon be climbing over a flat-rock bridge that crosses a creek and navigating a garden of bowling ball-sized hurdles. Soon thereafter, you’ll conquer some slick-rock. More dirt. A dose of mud. Rinse and repeat.

Continue on for a mile or two, or spend the day exploring the route’s 15 miles— nearly all of it technical. The further you go, the deeper into Ramapo State Forest you are. You meet civilization about four times from trailhead to trail end. You’ll roll over the interstate. Later, Cannonball’s signature red meets the blue of Ramapo Lake’s service road (The chance encounter with a vehicle is slim, but fellow bikers and hikers are often present, particularly on weekends. One of the drives off the service road will bring you to Cannonball’s next winding segment). No worries. Blazes branded to stumps will guide you well.

Now you’re back on the main line. Roughly a mile further— up some rather steep, challenging grades— you cross another one of the park’s private roads only to be challenged by the tight spaces leading you around the edge of a private hilltop residence. Skyline Drive will soon be your last bout with pavement. After that, only a few seconds spent crossing the dirt entrance to a utility station will have you back in pursuit of the finish.

If you’re looking to dismount somewhere comfortable and scenic, a number of lookouts are present along the next 10-mile stretch. Unfortunately, the IMBA has been losing out to the area’s foot travelers (or never gaining, however you look at it), so some of the rocky viewpoints are thus off-limits to knobbies. Hopefully that’ll change.

Ultimately, you’ll arrive at the southeastern sector of Ringwood State Park, where a loop around the picturesque Bear Swamp Lake will get you back on the red blazed line, only to retrace the adventure in reverse. Whoever said backtracking wasn’t fun?

Note: Cannonball Trail is not a loop. It is a tie between the parks that comprise New Jersey’s Ramapo Mountains.

How to get there:

From the North: Take I-287 North to Exit 57. Proceed West on West Oakland Ave. (becomes Colfax Ave) through about 2 miles of the suburbs. Turn right on Schulyer Ave., and right again on Barbara Dr. Parking is available at end of the road.

From the ‘South: Take I-287 South to Exit 57, go left at the fork (NOT the direction of Ringwood State Park). Follow directions above.

Want to REPRESENT your favorite riding area? Drop a line: Tell us what YOU represent