Parks & Recreation » Programs
Friday Night Trail Bike Night
Posted: May 18, 2010
Friday Night Trail Bike Night
The rapid increase in national rates of disease linked to sedentary lifestyles (e.g., obesity, diabetes and heart disease) has prompted municipalities throughout New Jersey to work toward improving their “activity friendliness”. Often focused on increasing opportunities for walking and bicycling , the NJ Mayors Wellness Campaign recently implemented in Byram by Mayor Jim Oscovitch, recognizes that fifty-five percent of New Jersey residents are obese or overweight and the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. Byram cares deeply about all of its citizens and the future health of its children and therefore seeks to foster active living and healthy lifestyles.
Byram is fortunate to have some beautiful hiking and biking trails including a portion of the Sussex Branch Trail which runs from Waterloo Road in Byram to Branchville. Sussex County is home to another part of the statewide system of rail trails, the Paulinskill Rail Trail running from Sparta to Columbia. The Friday Night Trail Bike group meets at 5:30 pm at various locations along the rail trails and rides approximately 8 miles or until 7:00 pm. Membership in the group provides you with a weekly email letting you know the starting point. All bikers are required to provide their own bike (no road specific bikes) wear a helmet and bring water to drink. The advantage of the rail trails is that they have very few hills, but the surface may be muddy, rocky or grassy. On occaision the trail may run along a public road. Due to the changing terrain, bikers are required to wear close-toed shoes.
The Friday Night Trail Bike Group will be holding a culminating ride on Saturday, Oct 16 along the Lehigh River Gorge. This 26 mile ride along the Lehigh River is a rail trail that runs from Whitehall to Jim Thorpe. PA. The group will ride in the morning, have a picnic lunch along side the river and then spend some time in historic Jim Thorpe, PA.
Who: Adults ages 18 and over
Location: Various locations along the Sussex Branch and Paulinskill Rail Trails
Facilitators: Janet Meisner and Ronnie Fitsimmons
Cost: $5.00 for the season. Riders must sign a waiver in order to be registered to receive emails with directions