Allaire State Park | JORBA - You Dig?
The 800 acre South side of Allaire State Park is maintained by the Allaire Trail Users Group (ATUG) which is a merry band of volunteers that includes mountain bikers, equestrians and hikers dedicated to Allaire's Multi-use trails. This area has many miles of unmarked trails along with four marked trails. You can expect packed sand trails with a few roots, no rock and relatively flat topography. Allaire is also frequented by many equestrians and trail runners so remember the Rules of the Trails. Although Allaire has some wildlife (deer, turkeys, owls and foxes) the critters to watch out for are ticks and chiggers so be sure to pack some bug spray during the summer months.
Allaire State Park's trails were scheduled to close on December 1, 1998 due to excessive erosion and neglect of the trail system. On November 4, 1998, ATUG was formed to open a dialog with the park in order to prevent the closing. The group consisted of both cyclists and equestrians and work closely with park officials. Fast forward a few years and the trails are greatly improved and there is no longer a threat of closure. The park officials have also responded with improvements like 2 lavatories and a resurfaced parking lot. ATUG has shown that it is possible for different user groups to join forces and work toward a common goal, and by working together we have improved communication between the user groups. The result is near zero user conflict and more trail courtesy.
Blind: It's the first trail you ride heading south east from the lot. It parallels Hospital Road and is named because there was an old hunters blind there years ago. It is a fun little trail with it's twists and turns and will lead you up to the gravel road (after bearing right), or to the Point (left).
Glass: Located off the main fire road and connects to the unimproved road near the airfield. This trail is so named due to the old glass dump from an farm from long ago. This 1 mile trail is very fun with it's gradual ups and downs and its many twists.
IMBA: Created with the help of the IMBA Trail Care Crew, this trail replaced a sandy fall line trail with a longer, sustainable trail. It is a fine example of how a properly built trail can be fun and sustainable at the same time.....even in sand. This trail has many "gates" and is as fun going up, as it is coming down.
Hog bog: Located between the Manasquan river and the fisherman's road, this fun trail will twist you up like a pretzel with it's many choices. Riding atop large berms which resemble cranberry bog, these trails offer a lot of fun with it's challenging roots.
Tiger Woods: This trail is one of the more difficult trails at Allaire. It twists and turns along the ridge above the Manasquan river. It runs adjacent to the Golf course at some points and is why it has this clever name.
Coke: Not a legal trail. Located along the Manasquan river, this trail is an out and back that includes a lot of fun trail features. Please do not cross over the golf course. The Coke trail requires good bike handling skills if one does not want to fall into the river.
River trail: This trail starts at the north side of the lot and goes down along the river, and is on a flood plain that goes through many changes through out the year. It ends with a climb up to the model airplane field.
Endor: Not a legal trail. Also on Monmouth Cty. property, this cool trail runs through, what looks like a replanted area from the Parkway construction. It is located across the street from the Hospital Rd. lot near the Parkway.
So come on out and join the crew. You will work hard, get dirty, get a great amount of satisfaction, and meet some new friends!!
If you have questions or you would like to be informed of future events, you can contact Mike Confenti at allaire@jorba.org.
Allaire's new volunteer created map!!
A big thank you goes to Bill Bastan and Eric Capers, JORBA members and Allaire volunteers, for creating this awesome map!
To maintain the multi-use trails of Allaire State Park for all users using IMBA's sustainable trail science.
Any user of the trails (mountain bikers, horseback riders, hikers) and other concerned parties who are willing to put forth the effort, commitment, and patience required to support this effort. Your commitment as a volunteer is needed to support this program.
ATUG is now working on a monthly basis between March and October to build and maintain the multi-use trails of Allaire State Park. In some cases, trails are re-routed to better utilize the terrain needs and to minimize user impact.
We meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Hospital Rd. parking lot. We work one Sunday per month from March to November. Tools are provided and the session lasts until approximately 12 noon.
Please remember to bring your bike because we always enjoy a post-tm cruise. There is nothing quite like a ride through a trail you just cut or repaired.