Thursday afternoon was what some would call a perfect day. 85 degrees and sunny with just a bit of wind. I could have cut the lawn and gotten started on a few weekend projects. Nah, it was way too nice out. This day had climbing written all over it. I got out of work on time at 4:30pm and drove to Dingmans Falls to meet Eric for a ride into New Jersey and up Sunrise Mountain.

We rolled out at 5:00pm and headed over the Dingmans Bridge. Turning right on Old Mine Road, we climbed the Peter’s Valley hill and over into the small Artist commune. We hung a sharp left on Bevans Road and pedaled out to Layton and across to Rt. 560 and eventually veered right on Rt. 206, which is a dangerous road at best. Not a lot of shoulder and way too many cars. The roadway goes uphill for about 1.5 miles before leveling out. A left hand turn on Upper North Shore Road in Stokes State Forest, and a left at the fork on Sunrise Mountain Road.

Sunrise climbs for about 6 miles before coming to another fork in the road. You will want to stay right to get to the overlook. The grade steepens for 3/4 of a mile, but you are treated to a beautiful view of the Kittatinny Mountains. Rolling back down, you take a right at the fork on Crigger Road, where you now descend for a few miles before coming to a refreshing sight on the left hand side of the road. It’s a natural spring. The water is ice cold and tastes great. A perfect place to refill your bottles and maybe cool off a bit.

Continuing down Crigger Road, you go up and down and finally reach Deckertown Turnpike, where you turn left (you can turn right if you want to extend the ride over to High Point). Deckertown Turnpike is a road that goes up and down, but a fast descent will carry you up and over most of the hills. After a few miles, it drops down for a stretch until you make a left on New Road. A flat and fast section, New Road becomes Cemetary Road. Just before Rt.206, you turn left on Degroat Road and wind around a few farms before coming back to and making a right on Rt. 206. a Quick left on an unnamed road and another left on Layton Hainsville Road.

Overlook

Another fast section, Layton Hainsville drops you back into Layton. A right hand turn at the Layton General Store on Rt. 560 and you climb just a little bit more, before descending down to the Dingmans Bridge and back across to Pennsylvania.

This was a beautiful ride, one that I would like to connect with High Point on another adventure and make it a day trip. With a lot of climbing, this is an intermediate to hard ride, but the reward is it’s beauty.

What’s Playing: (What am I’m listening to while writing or what’s dancing around in my head while riding) Today – The late, great Harry Chapin – A Better Place to Be