Exploring by bicycle

Let’s bike to discover what’s in bloom at Sayen Gardens

This ride is less than 9 miles each way and flat.

Sometimes you just want a short, easy ride. This is one of those, with a relaxing destination to boot.

Sayen Gardens is a mostly wooded free public garden in Hamilton, N.J., easily reached from the Princeton Junction train station (or the West Windsor Municipal Center or library for easier parking). For those who prefer something shorter than nearly 9 miles each way, parking at the East entrance to Mercer County Park is an option.

I’m planning a bike ride from Albany to New York City along the Empire State Trail — got any tips?

Suggest some must-eat restaurants and cool historical sites along the Empire State Trail.

I saw this part of the Empire State Trail under construction in 2018 — now I get to bike it.

New York State has opened the 750-mile Empire State Trail — along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo plus a route from New York City to the Canadian border. Admittedly it’s not all trail, separated from traffic, but 75% of it is. It’s stunning what was done in four years: taking plans that were just on paper and building 180 miles of new trail that closed many gaps.

I’m ready to test out part of it. And since Amtrak has become a bit more bike-friendly, we’ve decided to take the train to Albany and pedal to New York City next month.

Biking Bucks County covered bridges to New Jersey beer

Beautiful scenery, but oh those climbs!

First, the rolling hills of upper Bucks County mean the scenery is gorgeous, even if my iPhone photography skills can’t do them justice. The roads through the woods, with a stony creek alongside. And then the old stone homes.

But getting out of the river valley to the top of those hills? That’s another matter. Hard work! Or perhaps that’s the danger of just taking a random ride off Ride With GPS and there is an easier (and less trafficked) climb than Upper York Road? What should we have done instead?

Two ways to bike from Princeton to Philadelphia — which is better?

Both have great sections — and messy parts too.

Philadelphia from the Ben Franklin Bridge

I shocked a few of my neighbors when I said I was biking to Philadelphia this past weekend. It takes an hour to drive using I-95 so it seems crazy far to bike … and besides, how would you go?

An easy bike ride to see eagles in Mercer County Park

Not my photo! I swiped this from a news site that credited it to Kevin Buynie.

First day of spring, warm and sunny … do you need a better reason for a bike ride?

Our goal was the eagles’ nest in Mercer County Park — a park three times the size of Central Park in New York City — and to hopefully see some of the many (40?!?) eagles reportedly spotted on our first blast of spring 10 days earlier. Yes, bald eagles live in New Jersey!

The best way to bike to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton

We tested two options to get to Grounds for Sculpture using the D&R Canal towpath. One is much better.

My favorite sculpture on the way to Grounds for Sculpture.

I’ve long thought about biking to Grounds for Sculpture, a sculpture garden in Hamilton, N.J. started by Seward Johnson, a J&J heir and sculptor. But I didn’t like the routes Google Maps suggested, and then there is the industrial area around it…

Expanded: 6 great one-day bike rides on central New Jersey trails

Some kid-friendly bike rides in central New Jersey … also good for adults who prefer biking on trails instead of with traffic.

So you’re looking for a new place to ride your bike but don’t want to deal with traffic? Or you’re encouraging someone to bike who gets nervous around traffic? You need some kid-friendly options?

Central New Jersey has some great choice, and more trails are coming (it’s just not a fast process, unfortunately). I think these ~~five~~ six are fabulous; I hope you’ll love them too. I’ve listed them in no particular order and updated them for 2025.

Of course there are more trails than just these, so keep exploring and add your favorite to the comments section.

An updated list of 7 great bike-trail overnights within easy reach of New Jersey

These bike overnights are all trail or mostly trails. Trips range from one night to closer to a week.

I started this list with 5 favorite DIY bike overnights using trails or mostly trails and (important for me) easily reached from New Jersey. Now it’s 2025, and my list has grown to 7.

More trails are coming, so biking within a day’s drive of New Jersey will only get better.

How to bike to the Plainsboro Preserve

Two easy options to bike to the Plainsboro Preserve.

Not every bike ride needs to be 50 miles, or even 30 miles. This is a family-friendly ride done with my neighbors in mind, one that gets you across Plainsboro to the New Jersey Audubon Society’s Plainsboro Preserve and almost 1,000 acres of preserved land.

This updated Connecticut trail map makes my 2021 ride list

The traffic-free route from East Hartford to Willimantic on the Charter Oak Greenway and Hope River Trail.

Take a look at this just-updated map of Connecticut’s Charter Oak and Hop River trails.

You can ride traffic-free from East Hartford all the way to Willimantic — just wow! (OK, it looks like there might the tiniest section on the road.) That’s about 26.2 miles, or the length of a marathon for my runner friends.

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