We tested out the East Coast Greenway’s new route through Jersey City and Bayonne to Rahway, New Jersey — here’s what we found

The East Coast Greenway has a new route from Jersey City south that goes over two new bridges and bypasses Newark.

The tip of Manhattan, seen from Jersey City.

Now that the new Goethals Bridge connecting Staten Island and New Jersey is finished — and it has a bike lane — the East Coast Greenway has revised its route from Jersey City to Rahway. So of course I had to check it out.

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This fabulous new bike trail in Burlington County is finally officially open

I’ve been waiting for this lovely section of the Delaware River Heritage Trail to formally open. It finally has.

I’ve raved about the new trail from Crystal Lake Park to Roebling before — while it was under construction, while the railroad crossing was being finished … it even made my list of 5 great Central Jersey trails before it was formally finished.

So what more can I add? Beyond go. And offer up more photos to help tempt you.

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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?

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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?

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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…

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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.

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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.

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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.

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A bike ride to River Horse Brewing in Ewing, New Jersey

The D&;R Canal and the Lawrence Hopewell Trail get you within 30 minutes by bike of River Horse Brewing in Ewing, New Jersey.

That’s a brewery.

Time for another “weird beer” ride. This time we decided to try one of the big boys.

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How to bike from Trenton to Camden, New Jersey

It’s not as daunting as you might think.

New trail along the Delaware River.

Biking to Philadelphia on the New Jersey side has long intrigued me, especially after having ridden to Philly on the Pennsylvania side. So when a group a sister has started riding with announced a ride from Trenton to Camden and then over the Ben Franklin Bridge to Philadelphia, I was all in (well, at least to Camden.)

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