will be was

What are the options to go west from GW bridge in Fort Lee, I know the 9W, I like to go to west I know it is very limited, and not much choices, I have gone to Paramus going thorough Fort Lee, Bogota, Teaneck, Hackensack, I leave in the area and very familiar with the highways but I don't see much of bike option,

Jim Kukula

Looking at the Strava heatmap, it seems like Main St. through Fort Lee is the way to go, then Fort Lee Rd. through Leonia, then Degraw Ave over the turnpike, to Central Ave. through Hackensack. I don't know that area, I am just looking at the heatmap.

https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#15/-...8659/blue/bike

will be was

There is not much in Hackensack, and Teaneck road is to narrow with crazy Jersey drivers it its not ideal, I took Spring Vally Avenue and end up behind old Bergen Mall and to Spring Vally Road continue to Farveiw avenue, some garbage miles later turn back, same way.
In Leonia they connect the Overpeck park so I don't have to go on DeGraw that crosses over the route 95. That way I can go to The Cosmic Wheel bike shop easily.
I don,t think anything exiting going west end going south even worst, River Road south is crowded although I'm seeing some cyclist over the weekends,, Bergenline avenue forget it. I was trying to see if anybody had some thoughts on these

zowie

If you need to go west like for a commute, then Jim K gave you the route. The traffic can be thick.

If you just want to do some riding, better to go North for a ways and then go West. The further north, the better it'll be. Like E/W Palisades Avenue is ok (then you can ride north on Knickerbocker up to greener areas). Go further North and Closter Dock Rd is a nice choice, and from that you can head towards the Oradell Reservoir area, Saddle River, whatever.

____

Fort Lee Road is the best, most-traveled option.

Continuing west, follow Essex in Hackensack, then Main to Outwater. Then Lakeview to Market and on into Paterson, that avoids the highways.

Ferdinand NYC

I don't like Ft. Lee Rd. / Degraw Ave. The crossing of the Turnpike seems too dangerous; and it is extremely hilly. When I have ridden in that area, I have gone north from the bridge, and done a bit of a circuitous route:

* north Hudson Terrace to Palisade Ave.; turn left
* west on Palisade Ave. to Dean St.; turn left
* south on Dean St. to Forest Ave.; turn right
* west on Forest Ave. to Queen Anne Road; turn left
* south on Queen Anne Road to Cedar Lane; turn left
* west on Cedar Lane

When you cross the Hackensack River from Teaneck to Hackensack, Cedar Lane becomes Anderson Avenue. About a mile south of that is a street called Essex Street, which changes to Market Street a short distance to the west. This street would be a direct route into Paterson if it weren't cut by an incursion by Route 80. When I went to Paterson last year, I took Essex/Market only as far as the street called Boulevard, then turned right to go north. I then hit Broadway, and turned left to take that street across the Passaic River into Paterson.

Paterson is a great little city to ride in. It has a waterfall, a castle, and the oldest Negro League ballpark still in existence.

A side note: if you want a surreal experience in Fort Lee, here is something that you can do. If you take Hudson Terrace just a short distance north from the bridge, you'll find a street called Myrtle Ave. Then turn left to take that west. The first big street you get to is Lemoine Avenue, which has a 7-Eleven on the corner. If you continue west on Myrtle, you can experience something very weird.

Myrtle west of Lemoine first goes into a big dip, and then rises sharply. It is a big letter U. I did it hoping that I could use the momentum of the downhill to help me deal with the climb. (I couldn't; this was one of the very few times that I had to get off the bike and walk it.) The strange thing is this: both hills are so steep that, while you are on the downhill, you can angle your head to look upwards (not straight up; but about a 45-degree angle), and you will see the road from the other side of the U! To look in a direction where you normally see blue sky, and to see instead black pavement -- this is bizarre, and extremely disorienting. It's worth doing once, just for the experience, even if you wind up walking the bike a bit.

Anyway, I think that the best rides after one crosses the George Washington Bridge are to the south, into the bustling cities of Hudson County. I like to take either Palisade Avenue or Anderson Avenue (a different Anderson Avenue from the one mentioned before) south to the border between Bergen and Hudson Counties, and then Bergenline Avenue once in Hudson County. This street goes all the way from the county line in North Bergen, down through Guttenberg (the most densly populated city in the U.S.), and Union City.

Then turn right at any street after 32nd Street in order to hit Summit Avenue; turn left on Summit to continue southward. This street takes you into Jersey City. From there you can go west at Montgomery Avenue to find Lincoln Park, and the route to Newark (via Kearny). Or else you can go east on Montgomery Avenue into the downtown section of Jersey City, from which you can go north into Hoboken, or take the ferry back to New York. Finally, it is possible to stay on Summit Avenue, which eventually becomes Garfield Avenue, and take it south into Bayonne, where it becomes Broadway.

So I'd say that Hudson County is the place to be if you want to ride in New Jersey.

Jim from Boston

Hi @Ferdinand NYC,

I enjoyed reading your above description. A couple weeks ago, I started this thread in the Touring Forum, "Tell me about Cycling in....".

So I put a link to this thread on that thread. I also recall a previous thread of yours about cycling from Philadelphia to NYC, and I have added that one too, re Philadelphia.

Sincerely,

Jim

Ferdinand NYC

Nifty! Thank you for doing that.

will be was

[QUOTE=Ferdinand NYC;18584285]I don't like Ft. Lee Rd. / Degraw Ave. The crossing of the Turnpike seems too dangerous; and it is extremely hilly. When I have ridden in that area, I have gone north from the bridge, and done a bit of a circuitous route:


To Avoid Degraw Ave. In Lenoia, you can go in to Overpeck county park, they have bridge now that connects Leonia, Ridgefield Park, and Bogota, you can end up on Teaneck Road locally,

zowie

Good tip.

Can one get across on Cedar Rd too?

Ferdinand NYC

Can you describe where this is? I can remember once trying to enter what I thought was a park road, only to find a locked fence.

will be was

If you go down (west) Fort Lee Leonia, on Main street, on your left you'll see the small bridge, on the picture it will be like going to your left
,

This is the entrance sign to the Overpeck park,

will be was

They opened up the bridge 2 or 3 years ago I think

Ferdinand NYC

Thanks. I will see if I can find it the next time I am in that area.