Cedar Grove

Photo: Ellery Matz

Overview:

Cedar Grove might be one of the only places I frequently ride that isn’t really downhill or enduro, yet is packed with some pretty cool features. The place is basically one flat fire road with different trails going on and off of it. Some of the trails, like Yellow Trail, have some pretty weird features on them like skinnies on trees, and even a bamboo forest. Others, like Endoro and Cannonball, are really addicting jump lines that make you wish they were just a bit longer. Another notable trail is called Kashmir and is great for skill building with steep chutes, skinnies, drops, and gaps.

Pros:

My favorite thing about Cedar Grove are the jump lines. If you go into a zone called playground 1 on trail forks, you’ll find a 15-second downhill run called Cannonball that is packed with small doubles and extremely flowy. Go on the other side of the park and you’ll find Endoro which focuses less on flow and more on big, yet safe jumps. Another great upside to Cedar Grove is its proximity to the city. No sense driving an hour to a place like Allaire State Park when Cedar Grove is closer, and better in my opinion.

Cons:

As I said earlier, there isn’t much downhill here, and not too much elevation. I also think that there aren’t enough trails to spend an entire day here, so I would plan going after work.

Rating: 5.25/10

Cedar Grove is great for the person who wants to improve their MTB technique, without suffering up hills the whole time. For me, what makes it stand out is the sheer amount of features you’ll find here. Most places in the Northeast might have just one standout challenge, but I assure you there’s more to be found here.