Hartshorne Woods Park

Hartshorne is a great place to ride. Has a some good climbs and descents. Nice fast flow and trails are always well maintained. Parking can be tricky on weekends because this park gets jammed. Hikers can be annoying as well so keep your eyes open. There are some black diamond trails that are really fun with some small drops and some tricky roots but cool. There is also a jump section. Overall a lot of fun

I'll be honest with you- when we headed out to these trails at the Jersey Shore, we weren't expecting much. Sure the reviews on Singletracks were great, but the last few times we were in the Atlantic Highlands, we were racing the NJBA time trial at Sandy Hook, and it was flat, always windy as hell and sand everywhere we looked. So we figured we were just in for another Eastern New Jersey experience. If you're using 195 to reach these trails, you'll drive right past Clayton and Allaire, so once again, we expected more of the same. We were pleasantly surprised. These trails are freaking great. There are a few loops and they are pretty well marked. Stay off of the greens as they are for hikers. The blues are doubletrack and kindof just a way to get to the blacks. On the blue trail from the rocky point parking lot, there is a little jump skills area that's a good warm up before you get to the blacks. Once you get there you'll find some of the best flow in New Jersey. Extended downs and short rooty ups make for some awesome riding. The scenery is great too. The trails wind down along the Navasink River overlook. We couldn't use the drone out there on the trails, but we were able to send Dobby up to get this awesome 360 view from way above the trees. You can see the river and then Sandy Hook and the Ocean is off in the distance. Part of the history of this park was that it was a military bunker used during the cold war for missile defense. All of the technology has been removed since then though. They say these trails drain well after it rains, and there are a few sandy areas, but they were infrequent. We give this place a huge unexpected thumbs up. Literally the only complaint we had is that there are a lot of hikers and people walking their dogs out there- even on Rocky point, which is a black diamond. We didn't see any horses, but there were places where hoof prints were evident. So- if you're headed down the Jersey Shore to check out Allaire and you don't mind a little climbing for your coasters - you might want to drive 20 minutes farther and ride these trails at Hartshorne instead.

Hartshorne is a fun and fairly challenging trail system. There are 4 main trails and each offers a different set of challenges. If you park at Buttermilk you start climbing Cuesta Ridge. It's a doubletrack trail which has a pretty tough climb right out of the gate. The grade can get fairly steep and sandy in sections - and are often eroded by heavy rains - but the climbs are short in duration. At the end of Cuesta you can hook up with Rocky Point. RP is a fun section where you can let it rip. There are several areas with some optional logovers and the trail is equally fun to take in reverse. At either end of RP you can hook up with Grand Tour. This is another section where you can let it rip with plenty of roots and some short punchy climbs. On the final leg, take the Laurel Ridge trail. It's a fairly wide trail but you'll still have to be on your game. The climbs can be tough especially when the trails turn sandy. The same applies to the descents which offer a ton of fun provided you don't slide out. When you get to the last descent it's time to let loose. The water bars are set up like stairs so you can 'fly'. As you slide your way through the sandy turn at the bottom you'll find yourself back at the beginning. That's when it's time to refuel and do it again!

Challenging downhills and difficult uphills. Very muddy at the time of my ride. I gotta to believe it would have been even better if it was dry.

This trail system was worth the drive out. I stuck mostly to the diamonds and was treated with some technical climbs and some descents.
90 minutes blew by so quick it was fun.

Great ride great scenery

Fun ride. Some challenging downhill bits, and a few nasty short climbs that have me hurtin, but definitely a must see trail network. Awesome summer ride being so close to the shore. Take a swim on hot days in the river.

Good central NJ park with jumps and such along the fireroad. Some climbs and descents but nothin too crazy. There are few good views and historic sections on the bunkers that protected NY during WW2. Great for a different ride than allaire or clayton. Would def come back a few times to ride again.

Not really a review but I'm looking to find people to ride with. If interested please let me know. Thanks.

Didn't ride the actual trails. Rode along the water for a fast workout. Lots of ascents and great scenery. Nice way to get off the trails for a ride and push yourself.

My favorite trial in nj so far. You can find challenging climbs as nice down hills.
Drains extremely well

Township does a grest job with thier parks. There are many downhills, roots rocks and quick turns. Trails are well marked and paper map available at the entrance way. Climb may be tough but worth it riding down.

Hartshorne has an excellent mix of fast, flowy terrain, trail obstacles, challenging short-medium climbs and fast descents. Overall, I think it's one of the best trail networks in the area.

Great trails. At times it the slight overgrow of the plants make you feel like you are in Jurassic Park. Lots of fun technical downhills and plenty of uphill so be prepared. Be careful of all of the roots and rocks. Most of the trails are not well suited for a beginner, but much fun is to be had by intermediate to advanced riders. The trails aren't really marked, but it is very easy to find your way around.

It is an amazing trail system for the area. You must go and try it out.

Found this video on YouTube. I thought it was interesting enough to share with anyone that rides there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdDMOIGkhMY
The video tells of how this land was used in the past.

Awesome set of trails! You can get some great speed on the downhills and get some air off some of the drops scattered throughout the park. Of course, for every great downhill there is an uphill climb that will make you work.

Good mix of technical (root steps, sand, some rock gardens) and faster flowing dirt singletrack and fireroads. definitely a fun place to ride.

A lot of hills here, so get ready for a cardiovascular work out. Overall great single track trail system with many grades and switchbacks. This park connects with Huber woods park via a short ride on the street.

Very fast trails that flow relatively well. They are all bidirectional but once you ride there enough you can learn wich way is better. Good place to learn cornering and some mild downhill riding. There are also some nice technical climbs. I mostly did the black trails and they kept me entertained. Small drops and jumps are interspersed throughout the trails. Very well mantained system. Definatlly a change in pace compared to westchester trails where I usually ride.

Hartshorne is one of my favorite places to ride. It has some fast switchbacks and plenty of single track. In the few hours we rode there we only saw 2 deer but about 20 hikers and 12 other mountain bikers. Everyone we came across was polite and the fact that the trails were crowded was not an issue. I highly recommended this place. Going through the parking lot you will see license plates from PA, NY which means there are plenty of riders who think this is worth the drive.