From Edison · Skyline, Wanaque & Clinton Road

This full-day version starts in Edison (Menlo Park). The first 43 miles go out on back roads, mostly CR-577, NJ-35 and CR-615, to Oakland, where the good part begins. The core stretch, Skyline, Wanaque & Clinton Road, runs 32 miles to Butler.

The ride home is the quick way: 45 miles on I-287, the Garden State Parkway and NJ-24 back to Edison. All in, it's about 121 miles and 4 hours in the saddle, before any stops for gas, food or photos. There's time to take it easy.

Full-day version that starts in Edison: it adds the ride there and back to Skyline, Wanaque & Clinton Road. Here is what you'll find on the core stretch:

The closest real mountain curves to the GW Bridge: Skyline Drive climbs through the Ramapo woods, then you trace the Wanaque and Monksville reservoirs, and Clinton Road drops through dark, tight forest along the Clinton Reservoir. Mid-radius blind corners, very few straights, and almost no towns until Newfoundland. Good for a half-day or a long after-work ride. Watch for cyclists and police on Skyline, and for potholes and gravel on Clinton Road, which draws sightseers after dark.