Air

I'd like to get from Jersey City area (near the Grove Street stop) to the George Washington. Any suggestions/roads to take or not to take?

Thanks!

**brian**

The most direct route from Grove St. would be

Marin Blvd to Hoboken
Left on Observer Hwy
Right on Madison to 15th St
Right on 15th St
Left on Park Ave
Right on 19th St
becomes Harbor Blvd
bear right on Port Imperial Blvd (Weehawken)
merges into River Rd (Guttenberg)

You can take River Rd all the way up to GWB, but the last mile or so south of the bridge is not the greatest: narrow road, heavy traffic, bad pavement, and a steep climb at the end (though the last bit of the climb you can do on the new bike path, from Henry Hudson Dr up to the Bridge.)

A good way to avoid that unpleasant bit at the end is to turn left off River Rd onto Gorge Rd in Edgewater, then turn right on Palisade Ave - that takes you all the way to Bruce Reynolds Blvd (turn right to the bridge).
Gorge Rd is one of my favorite local climbs - about 180 ft @ 8%, with shallower grade for a while after that.

The route above is pancake flat with one big hill (either Gorge Rd, or the end of River Rd).

Another option - less direct but a nicer ride:

Newark Ave west (with a short, steep hill)
Right on Palisade Ave
Continue on Palisade several miles, to 43rd St (Union City)
Right on 43rd St
Left on Boulevard East
continue on Blvd East to North Hudson Park, then bear right on Woodcliff Ave
Right on Palisade
continue to GWB (right on Bruce Reynolds)

This route has lots of rollers, great views of the city from Boulevard East, no big climbs. A little less car traffic if you're riding at a busy time.

avduka

I would stay away from River road because it is almost like riding on a highway. Cars fly by 60mph. Well at least I do sometimes . I rode river Road when I used to work there but I rode the sidewalk. I live in West New York and make frequent trips over GW. I usually take Blvd East to Palisade ave and ride it all the way to GWB

**brian**

I rode a variation of my Boulevard East route this morning, and was reminded that nice ride that is (for this part of the world).

I was also reminded that Palisades Ave in Union City north of 30th St is one way - south. (I more often take this route from GWB to JC; the one-way business is no problem going that way).

So you just need to adjust the route along that stretch, to a street running parallel to Palisade.

The whole route should be

Newark Ave west (with a short, steep hill)
Right on Palisade Ave
Continue on Palisade several miles, to 29rd St (Union City)
One block on 29th to New York Ave; right on New York Ave
Right on 43rd St
Left on Boulevard East
continue on Blvd East to North Hudson Park, then bear right on Woodcliff Ave
Right on Palisade
continue to GWB (right on Bruce Reynolds)

Avduka is right, River Rd can be nasty. When I'm on there, it's usually very early on a Saturday or Sunday morning - traffic tends to not be so heavy...

Stacy

PATH train to World Trade Center
West on Vesey Street to the Greenway
North on Greenway to GWB

Air

Yeah, yeah, yeah - but where would be the challenge and fear of imminent demise?

Bacciagalupe

Heh.... Well, I also dislike River Road. Cars are too fast and several stretches have little or no shoulder.

Another plus of going up the cliffs is that, if you're not in a rush, there are lots of great views of Manhattan. Over by Port Imperial is a road that goes up the cliffs to Boulevard East, and there are a bunch of small parks right on the edge. There are also some dead-end streets just off of Palisade Avenue which also have great views.

Not the Slowest

From PATH Website
Customers with Bicycles
You may not enter a PATH station with a bicycle on weekdays between 6:30 am and 9:30 am and between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm. No more than two bicycles are permitted on a PATH car and bicycles are not permitted in the first railcar of a train.

All said, Boulevard East is a pleasant ride with fewer cars than River Rd, but on a early weekend, I would stick with River Rd

Air

This is awesome, thanks all!

Just plotted it out, I'm actually coming from the city but the return ride will be useful too.

rtruectoc

I can second this route from the boulevard east part up to the gw. another option would be to take Park ave or one of the other streets parallel to boulevard east. they are more narrow but less trafficked

Air

You were right, that WAS a beautiful ride. Windy as hell though - yikes!

noglider 

Air, why are (were) you interested in this? If to get into Manhattan, I've been wondering if it makes any sense to go over the Bayonne Bridge. I grew up in Manhattan, and when I was in high school, about a million years ago, I once rode to Jersey City. I don't remember my route, though. I understand the Bayonne Bridge has a pedestrian path.

From the Staten Island side, it's a five mile ride to the Staten Island Ferry.

Air

Hmmm...I briefly thought about that too; definitely another option. I always liked the idea of getting on my bike and winding up somewhere else without relying on another source of transportation, even if it's a bit more of a journey.

Basically I meet up with a friend a few times a week to do work, wanted to combine getting there and a ride.

**brian**

Going through Bayonne & Staten Island is definitely an interesting & very different ride - generally much less traffic than heading north from Jersey City.
The Bayonne Bridge has "walk your bike" signs posted, but I've always ridden (slowly) over. It seems like there's always a container ship going under the bridge as I pass over... kinda cool.

I was fooling around with Bike Route Toaster the other day, and started a route from downtown JC to SI (via Liberty State Park). Not the most direct, but very scenic!

https://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=41182

Once you're over the bridge in Staten Island, you can take Morningstar Rd to Richmond Terrace, and follow that all the way to the ferry terminal.
Richmond Terrace goes by the old working waterfront - tugboat crew bars & that kind of thing. Traffic has never been very heavy when I've been riding there, but in some spots the road surface is pretty horrible.
Another option from the bridge in SI is to zig-zag over to Henderson Avenue (parallel to Richmond Ter) and cut through Snug Harbor cultural center.

If only they'd built that bike path on the Verrazano...

noglider 

Thanks, brian. One reason I'm doing this research is that I'd like the challenge of riding to Manhattan from my home in Maplewood. I'd have to cross some very industrial sections of Newark. Do you know how the Lincoln Highway bridge is? Pretty awful, I'd imagine. But I can't think of another way to get there from points west.

**brian**

Bad news. Those bridges & interchanges are very, very dangerous. Some parts I think do have remnants of sidewalk - from when it was first built 70 or 80 years ago - but not someplace you'd even want to walk a bike (or walk, period).

The Goethals Bridge apparently has a bike path, which has been closed for construction for several years. If and when that reopens, you'd be in business...

noglider 

Hmm. I'm sure you're right. I'll take a look. Maybe I'll take a weekend day and explore those roads with both car and bike.

noteon 

Not to mention the Trader Joe's.