tpelle

In a few weeks I'm going to be on a temporary work assignment in the Princeton New Jersey area. I'm most likely going to be driving there, and will be staying in an extended-stay hotel right on Rt. 1 in the Princeton/South Brunswick area. I'm seriously considering taking one of my bikes - probably my Trek 820 mtb.

Can anyone clue me in on any good places to ride? I recall that there is a some sort of trail along an old canal route? I would suppose that the area around the Princeton University campus would probably be pretty bike-friendly.

How about biking along Rt. 1? Driving seems to be pretty congested, but how bike-friendly is it?

Mike R.

Hey - I grew up in Princeton, still live locally. Get in touch with me and I can fill you in....

michaeljohnr at comcast dot net

papedaler

If you are there on Aug 2 you may want to consider the Princeton Free Wheelers Annual ride. It's a great way to see the area and not have to worry about getting lost. (Although that is one of the few rides I did manage to get temporarily mis-placed.) https://www.princetonfreewheelers.com/

bidivadbob

If you stay at one of the hotels right by Mapleton Ave and Route 1, the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath will be right across Mapleton Avenue. There are a Marriot and a Homewood Suites at that intersection. Don't bike on Route 1 - too many intersections and traffic gets very congested. Route 27 isn't too bad. Follow the towpath northish to Kingston and you can get on Route 27, or follow it west to Harrison Street to get on neighborhood streets.

tpelle

I'm most likely going to be at the Staybridge Suites at Rt. 1 and Independence Way. The Delaware & Raritan Towpath was what I was thinking of. Is there easy access to the towpath from there?

bidivadbob

Being a coward who would never bike on Route 1, I'd go north to Ridge Road and then take Ridge north and west to Kingston. You can pick up the towpath in Kingston just west of Academy St.. The intersection of Ridge Road and Route 1 gets very nasty during rush hours so be careful, and Ridge itself is narrow. You can also get access to the towpath at Harrison just east of Route 1, on Washington, and on Alexander (all in Princeton area) and parking is available at all those places and in Kingston if you want throw the bike in the car. If you look at the map of Princeton, the Canal is the thin strip of water next to Carnegie Lake and the Millstone River. That should give you a better idea of where the towpath is.

Terex

Look at njbikemap.com Rt. 1 is a deathtrap, but canal path is great. See https://www.dandrcanal.com/park_index.html

Artkansas 

How is northern NJ for year round commuting? I have a lady in Colonia who wants me to head NJ way and one of the things holding me up is that it seems like NJ isn't great for commuting, and for the general cost of living/income ratio.