April 11-12, 2026 Bike Camping at Stephens State Park

Strap it down, stuff it in, lash it on! We’re loading up the bikes and heading out for an overnight adventure at Stephens State Park in Hackettstown, and yeah… we snagged the best campsite.

Meet Saturday at the Denville Clocktower. Wheels roll at 2:00 PM.
From there we rip off on a 25-mile mixed-terrain ramble through Rockaway, Wharton, Ledgewood, Landing, and Netcong. This old favorite route hasn’t seen us in a while and it’s got a little bit of everything: quiet back roads, a couple sneaky dirt cut-throughs, some gravel, and a taste of the Morris Canal towpath. There’s about a 2-mile stretch on Rt. 46—not glorious, but we’ll survive.

The climbs come early, so get them out of the way and then spin it out. Slow pace, no drop. This is about the ride, the laughs, and the weird little moments that happen when you load a bike with camping gear and roll.

We’ll make a snack raid at Leggo My Bagel in Kenvil, maybe Cliff’s in Ledgewood before pushing on to camp.

Once we roll into camp and set up the tents, there are solid food options in town and odds are we’ll wander over for a Hackettstown food crawl 🍕🌮🍔

It’s just friends on bikes. No registration. No insurance. No support vehicles. No services. Bring a few bucks to help with the campsite.

Plan to ride to the start or intercept along the route. Overnight parking near downtown Denville can be tricky, though the police have been know to let you park in their lot if you ask nicely. NJ Transit trains to Denville Station are also an option.

Heavy steady rain = we pull the plug.

If you’re in, say so in the comments or grab my email from the contacts.

Adventure awaits. Let’s ride.