DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.91403, -74.26763
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| Mountain View Train Station |
There is no designated parking for the Pompton Valley Rail Trail. You are on your own to find public parking near access points. I wanted to start at the southern end so I ended up parking at the Mountain View Train Station. The sign says "Parking for NJ Transit Passengers Only - Free Parking Anytime" so technically, not a place to park for the rail trail. However, there is no train service on weekends so I felt it would be OK to park here on a Saturday.
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| At the northern end there is possibly parking at the end of River Drive just before the Pompton River on a dirt area with a kiosk. 40.98160, -74.29776 |
TRAIL MAP:
Pompton Valley Rail Trail Map - Morris County Parks Commission
BIKE DISTANCE: 10.5 miles (5.2 miles each way)
THE BIKE:
This is a brand new trail with the Morris County northern portion opened in November 2024 and the Passaic County southern portion opened in May/June 2025.
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| From the train station, right on Route 202 then cross over at the crosswalk up ahead. |
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| Continue under Route 23 then ... |
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| ... left just after Route 23. |
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| A few steps ahead, left on the Pompton Valley Rail Trail. |
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| The trail passes behind the Dollar Tree which is directly across the street from the train station. |
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| Crossing live tracks but there are no trains running on weekends. |
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| There is a massive expanse of bridge along this section. |
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| A bridge over ... |
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| Pompton River |
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| The busier street crossings like the Newark-Pompton Turnpike, have pedestrian lights for crossing. |
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| Karl Bauer Horse Training Center |
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| Nearing the end of the trail, back under Route 23. |
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| Following along the Pompton River ... |
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| ... to the end at River Drive. |
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| I turned right on River Drive in search of the Pompton Riverwalk indicated on the map. |
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| There is a kiosk with a map... |
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| ... that shows an existing trail but there was no trail to be found. |
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| Pompton River |
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| ??? |
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| Heading back. |
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| Rocco the Rocksnake |
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| Just before the end of the trail to the right of the beginning of the fence ... |
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| ... is a dirt path to ... |
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| ... the back of Dollar Tree with the train station directly across the street. I had considered this huge lot behind Dollar Tree to be a possible parking option but there are "customer parking only" signs. |
The horse barn in your photo was the very first place where I boarded my mare. Years ago it was still dirt and gravel, I used to ride her for miles up and down the whole length. While I'm sad it is no longer horse-friendly, I'm excited to do the new trail with my whole family on bike sometime soon!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I had no idea there was even anything there previously. I get that it is sad when things like that become manicured. A couple of years ago I hiked old rail bed that was passable and made a really fun connection between two hiking trails in the Catskills. It is being turned into the Shandaken Rail Trail. I was so happy to have been able to hike it while it was still "wild."
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