# Warrenville road beotches!!



## Climbing_Clyde

There should be someone at the top of this hill handing out medals to anyone who climbs that sombeotch on any bike in any gear!!!

I did it tonight for the first time in about 10 year and nearly died, it is the hardest climb I have encountered in NJ. Now I can't speak for some of you gearhead manicas but for me, it is a right of passage. Especially when it is 90 degrees out and really humid AND I am lugging my 240LB carcass up this monster. I think this is as close as I will ever come to childbirth. 

Anyone else out there been there and done that?


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## mr meow meow

*Where is the climb?*

I love to climb, although the mountain sometimes wins


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## mr meow meow

*I just 'Google-Mapped' Warrenville rd.*

I assume this is the road that runs from rt 22 up to Mountain Ave? I sometimes ride out on Mountain ave from Chatham and turn right and climb up Mt. Bethel rd. It seems as though Warrenville rd. turns into Mt. Bethel. If this is the case, that would be one mother of a hill as Mt. Bethel is no slouch either.


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## Climbing_Clyde

mr meow meow said:


> I assume this is the road that runs from rt 22 up to Mountain Ave? I sometimes ride out on Mountain ave from Chatham and turn right and climb up Mt. Bethel rd. It seems as though Warrenville rd. turns into Mt. Bethel. If this is the case, that would be one mother of a hill as Mt. Bethel is no slouch either.


You are correct sir and it really needs to be experienced. I purposely seek out all the hills in this area and try them out, for my money Warrenville is the killer, worse than Washington Rock although Washington is longer. Try it sometime, just plan on going home soon after, I was shot after that one, legs felt like wet sand, YMMV

Are you talking about making a right at flag plaza and going up that way or do you make a left on Mt Bethel from Mountain and go up by the cemetery?


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## thegock

*Warrenville is about 340 vertical feet*

I prefer Washington (Rock) Road which is just east of Warrenville Rd. It does not lead anywhere in particular so is much less heavily traveled. It is 3/4 of a mile long for the same vertical gain. The road quality is not as good and it is narrow but the lack of car traffic is what makes it.


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## Hunyak

I've ridden up Summit Road, but I never tried Warrenville or Washington. I live around the corner from Gillette Road and that's a good one.


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## Climbing_Clyde

I have been seeking them all out for years, this is just the first season that I have been back into cycling so much. I did Hillcrest on Saturday, it is not too bad cause there is some give in it. But Washington Rock (Rock ave.) and Warrenville are the shite!!

I'll have to look for Summit rd too, maybe make an adventure out of it. 

I recently discovered Bedminster, once you cross 202 from Washington Valley road it's like cycling fantasy land, gorgeous riding out there.


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## thegock

*Actually, Washington Ave.*

Rock Ave. is a different road that is a bit further east that I have never climbed on my bike.

The bellweather climb is Johnson Drive. going east from Somerset but that is about 1.05 miles for about 20 feet more vertical so the average grade on Washington is quite a bit steeper. Either is a massive amount of work. Check out njbikemap.com

I used to climb Washington Ave to the Washington Rock overlook in the summer when I was in college. With 10 less pounds on my body and 20 year old legs, it seemed a bit easier. 

I climbed it yesterday and am starting to record my times on it. My tentative plan is to go through the cluster from big to small and find out which gear climbs the quickest. Generally speaking, with its steepness, I would think that I would get the best time with fourth on an 11x25 ten speed cluster with a compact.


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## Hunyak

Climbing_Clyde said:


> I'll have to look for Summit rd too, maybe make an adventure out of it.


Summit road is probably 8 - 10 miles east of Warrenville Road, It runs from Route 22 to the top of the hill. I don't think it's as steep as Warrenville but it's a pretty good hill.

Gillette Road is on the edge of the Great swamp, off the Meyersville circle.


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## thegock

*Gillette Rd.*

Super steep and very short. Alan Polka Dot Jersey and I got to the top of it the first time we climbed it and we turned to each other and said simultaneously, "That was the steepest hill I have ever climbed."


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## prunepit

Heres my quick little hill loop I do.Start at the Watchung circle, go up Washington rock rd.,left off of Mountain Blvd,down the other side and cross Rt.22 onto Greenbrook rd.Make a right go to Warrenville rd,go up and over back to Mountain Blvd.Go back down to Watchung Circle and stay to your right till Johnson Drive,make a left,go up that,very tough.Take till Valley Dr and make a left.Take that back down Valley Road and make a left.Go to Hillcrest road and make a right,This one is very hard.Go up and over,down to 4 way stop.Turn around and go back up and take down to Watchung cicle and you are DONE,cooked. Mt Bethel is easy compared to any of these climbs.Warrenville is probably the hardest,Hillcrest from the circle is pretty close though,Johnson Dr is tough for the first half mile then eases up a little.Not the most scenic or traffic freindly ride but if you want a lot of vertical in a short distance ride give it a go.


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## Climbing_Clyde

prunepit said:


> Heres my quick little hill loop I do.Start at the Watchung circle, go up Washington rock rd.,left off of Mountain Blvd,down the other side and cross Rt.22 onto Greenbrook rd.Make a right go to Warrenville rd,go up and over back to Mountain Blvd.Go back down to Watchung Circle and stay to your right till Johnson Drive,make a left,go up that,very tough.Take till Valley Dr and make a left.Take that back down Valley Road and make a left.Go to Hillcrest road and make a right,This one is very hard.Go up and over,down to 4 way stop.Turn around and go back up and take down to Watchung cicle and you are DONE,cooked. Mt Bethel is easy compared to any of these climbs.Warrenville is probably the hardest,Hillcrest from the circle is pretty close though,Johnson Dr is tough for the first half mile then eases up a little.Not the most scenic or traffic freindly ride but if you want a lot of vertical in a short distance ride give it a go.



Damn dude, you are my new hero. 

I rank them in this order, hardest to easier.

1) Warrenville - it's the bomb diggity
2) Washington Rock - longer then Warrenville but a little less steep.
3) Johnston Dr. - This is a favorite of mine and it is tough. 
4) Morningglory Rd. - Love this hill, torture cause you can see the whole damn thing and that crescendo at the end is a killer!
5) Hillcrest - I did it the other day with little problem- at least it has some give in it at 2 points, it also has a nice crescendo at the end. 

At this point I could not see myself recovering enough after Warrenville to do anything outside of drooling a little, babbling incoherently and sucking on a beer. 
I'll keep pluggin though.


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## prunepit

I use the heck out of my compact gearing,kind of cheating.It still takes a least several beers to recover though.


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## thegock

*Washington is 8/10 of a mile*

We GPS'ed it yesterday and it is actually 8/10 not 3/4 of a mile. 

We saw a deer about six feet away that scrambled but did not run when we pedaled slowly by. I did a 7:18 minute time :cryin: on my steel Nag pushing yesterday. Next I want to put some watts on a carbon frame and see the time drop??


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## thegock

*Warrenville declared champ*

Washington Ave. was closed due to work on the Route 22 intersection today. I rode west to Warrenville. What a revelation!!! The climb is 0.55 miles and does not give up. No flattish breathers.

340 vertical feet in 2877 (YMMD) horizontal feet is a 12% grade for a half mile plus:cryin:. Five minutes and 59 seconds for a first time sitting for the first 90%. When I shifted to second gear for the last 100 yards, my back wheel actually slipped out a bit.

The wide, well-paved shoulder is a good trade off for the higher volume of traffic.


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## Climbing_Clyde

Excellent, glad to see more people riding that beast. The sign on top says 15%, I would assume it has spots where it is that steep no?


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## thegock

*15%*

Sure seems plausible to me.


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## Ken Roberts

*champ hill of Watchung not NJ*



thegock said:


> 340 vertical feet in 2877 (YMMD) horizontal feet is a 12% grade for a half mile plus


I just climbed Warrenville Rd again a few days ago, and I liked it as a workout hill because of the wide traffic lane. 12% steepness grade agrees with the average I calculated with some topo software -- though since there's a less steep section partway up, the sustained sections before and after it must be steeper than 12%, say toward 13%. But I doubt there's any section at 15% for more than a three feet of horizontal distance. (My experience is that most transportation departments exaggerate steepness numbers, presumably to err on the conservative side).​Fiddlers Elbow is generally recognized as the toughest climb on a paved road in New Jersey -- longer and steeper than Warrenville. ("Hillier Than Thou" included it again this year). It's on the "Montana" hill out west between Philipsburg + Washington + Belvidere. There's a bunch of interesting tough climbs on several sides of the Montana hill, often with little vehicle traffic in a rather pretty setting.

For some other contenders for tough climbs, here's
my table of steep NJ climbs + map of some areas with tough hills

Ken


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## jhamlin38

can anyone make comparison of how mountain road is vs. warrenville rd. I road it out of boundbrook today, and found it pretty tough. the pavement is relatively rough, and the shoulder gets smaller as you reach the top. even though the speed limit is 35mph, cars drive it like its a 45mph road. the road runs almost parallel to warrenville rd. I hit 47mph on the way down, which sort of varified how much tough it was.


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## HouseMoney

jhamlin38 said:


> can anyone make comparison of how mountain road is vs. warrenville rd. I road it out of boundbrook today, ...


By "Mountain Road" out of BB, do you mean Morning Glory Rd (which Mountain _Ave._ turns into north of 22)? If so, then by far Warrenville Rd is more difficult. I did Morning Glory last Saturday for the first time heading north from 22 on my return trip from Princeton (I usually do it going up from Washington Valley to King George). With 60 miles already in my legs, it was a challenge, but I was able to do most of it seated. Warrenville is a struggle with fresh legs. Would not have even thought of trying it last Saturday.

In the area, I used to think Summit Rd. was the hardest climb I'd done ... until I climbed Warrenville this past summer.


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## jhamlin38

Yes, coming out of boundbrook, pass the cemetary on right, Mountain Road becomes morning glory at king george rd, heading northeast. 
I'm gonna hit warrenville soon! Thanx for tthe warning.


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## Ken Roberts

jhamlin38 said:


> Yes, coming out of boundbrook, pass the cemetary on right, Mountain Road becomes morning glory at king george rd, heading northeast.
> I'm gonna hit warrenville soon!


Mountain / Morning Glory northeast fr Bound Brook doesn't even qualify as a warmup for Warrenville Rd, judging from a quick look at some topo software.

Don't even try Warrenville Rd (with its high traffic volume) until after you've done climbs like Valley Dr and Hill Hollow (south from rt 527 Valley Rd northeast from the Watchung circle) on several different days and feel comfortable climbing them in a gear much higher than your lowest.

For some estimated steepness measures on some other climbs around there, see these 
lists for Somerset county + Union county (Mountain / Morning Glory would fall pretty low on the list)​Ken


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## jhamlin38

Warning is appreciated, but there's nothing I like better than the torture of getting "over my head" on a climb. 
Those 9 years in Chicago did no favors for my new interest of climbing.


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## jhamlin38

I got up warrenville road (headed North) today! Yes, its a total ***** of a climb. But, I had a harder time with mountain/morningglory. I'm seriously thinking of moving further north so I can ride that area everytime.


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## Ken Roberts

jhamlin38 said:


> I got up warrenville road (headed North) today!


Glad it worked out -- a fine achievement.



jhamlin38 said:


> But, I had a harder time with mountain/morningglory.


Guess it's harder than I thought -- I'll have to try it sometime. My previous assessment was based on topo software as I said, and sometimes that's misleading -- so I'll see if I can get to check it out on the ground.

Ken


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## Mad_Hun

So I took the Cannondale with the triple out to attack Warrenville Rd today. Had to ride a good portion in the granny gear and even then, my heart nearly burst out of my chest! That road is a monster.

Speaking of good climbs in the area, has anyone ever tried Skyline Dr. off of Mt. Kemble Ave in Morristown? Or Mountain Ave off of Main St. in Mendham? They're fairly challenging, but not quite like Warrenville.


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## jhamlin38

Mad-hun. never ride that far north. when i do climbs in april/may, or the beginning of my season, my heart and lungs feel like they're ready to explode and catch fire.
I rode up 518 yesterday, which was the first "climb" of the year for me, and it wasn't pretty. I'm extatic about my new bike though. It definitely makes a difference and improves my ability to go upwards.


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## jsedlak

Has anyone measured Bailey Hollow Rd near Jockey Hollow? I think it is similar.. should be around 300 feet in half a mile to a mile. It isn't be best kept road and cars like to speed on it unfortunately.

I have a nice climbing route (for me anyways, a "heavyweight") that goes out towards Mendham and hits up Cold Hill Rd (before the resevoir) and then comes back through Jockey Hollow. It has about 4000ft of climbing over 50 miles.

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=21020


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## goldsbar

Fiddler's Elbow is the only truly hard hill I've ever ridden in NJ. Breakneck Rd out by Vernon might also fit the bill but I've only gone down that once. That hill someone mentioned in Morristown off of 202 (Skyline?) is nothing compared to Fiddler's so if Warrenville is only a bit harder than that I suggest some of you make the journey west for the pure fun of self inflicted pain. It's my understanding that many people walk Fiddler's in the Hillier Than Thou ride. Look at a map and follow Rt 53 out to Rt 519 and head North. Fiddler's Elbow climbs the ridge to the right (east) but it's not the first turn off of 519 so you need to search a little. It's only a mile or so after turning North onto 519 IIRC. The other hills going up that ridge are probably close follow ups for hardest hills in NJ. You can make up some loops that go up and down that ridge.


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## eclipse1

try from flat brook bridge into millbrook then over the ridge and then down the other side into blairstown.
its long and rolling the last climb is 1/2 mile climb and you zig zag to climb to top.
total climb aprx 2 miles.


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## NJcycler

I live in Sussex County. Breakneck Road in Vernon is a 25% grade and pretty hairy. Milbrook Flatbrook RD from Milbrook Village up over the Mountain is a tough long climb. great road to go down. Very easy to hit over 50 mph just rolling.


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## Ken Roberts

NJcycler said:


> Breakneck Road in Vernon is a 25% grade and pretty hairy.


I do not live in Sussex county, but I do like to go there and try Breakneck -- and some other steep climbs nearby.

It's true that there are one or two road _signs_ on Breakneck Rd that say 25% grade.

But really it's not as steep as 25%, not the whole climb, not any significant section of it. (? maybe there's a 17-inch distance on it somewhere that's 25% ?)

One of the many cases where steepness grade numbers on road signs (and other places) are exaggerated.Still, Breakneck is much steeper than any climb in the Tour de France. (though not as long as those).​Ken


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## NJcycler

*great site you have*



Ken Roberts said:


> I do not live in Sussex county, but I do like to go there and try Breakneck -- and some other steep climbs nearby.
> 
> It's true that there are one or two road _signs_ on Breakneck Rd that say 25% grade.
> 
> But really it's not as steep as 25%, not the whole climb, not any significant section of it. (? maybe there's a 17-inch distance on it somewhere that's 25% ?)
> 
> One of the many cases where steepness grade numbers on road signs (and other places) are exaggerated.Still, Breakneck is much steeper than any climb in the Tour de France. (though not as long as those).​Ken



I checked out your web site after making the post. pretty cool site. I have pretty much done all the climbs you listed for sussex but have not done breakneck. i've been down it on a bike. i have not done it because of traffic more then anything. i know a few climbs i could add to your list. One is Holland mountain road from Glen road in Jefferson over to rt 23 Stockhom. My cycling computer shows a 14-16 degree grade. i think it is pretty close because other climbs you have listed it has displayed the same kind of numbers. I think Pochunk lake road it displayed 14 degrees and you list 13. Another one is Crigger Rd off Neilson rd. It goes up the east side of Sunrise Mountain. The road was never completed. It is like 17 degree but short. Like 1/4 mile. Decker Turnpike is a very nice climb from either side. Amity Rd in Byram is a good climb. Not sure of the grade. Have not been on it since getting the new cycling computer but I can get close to 50 mph going down it rolling in a tuck. so steep enough.
Sussex County has some great riding.


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## Ken Roberts

Thanks for more hills in Sussex county to check out. I'll have to find some of them on the map first.

Breakneck does get a surprising amount of traffic for how steep it is. (How do cars get up it on icy days in the winter?). One idea is try to find a way to get on it like between 9:30a and 2:00p on a weekday. 

Another idea is to try climbing the road of the Hidden Valley ski area which is partway up Breakneck. Much less traffic, and I think the first two of the steep sections are at least as steep as Breakneck. Hidden Valley has its own special character -- If I'm there to try Breakneck, I usually like to try Hidden Valley also.Technical point to be aware of: 14 degrees is very different from 14 percent steepness. Steepness grade of roads is usually measured in percent, not degrees. (percent grade is like the trigonometric "tangent" or "sine" functions).​Ken


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## Ken Roberts

I found some of those Sussex county climbs on the map. Are all those roads paved? or are they partly dirt?



NJcycler said:


> ... One is Holland mountain road from Glen road in Jefferson over to rt 23 Stockhom. My cycling computer shows a 14-16 degree grade. i think it is pretty close because other climbs you have listed it has displayed the same kind of numbers. I think Pochunk lake road it displayed 14 degrees and you list 13. Another one is Crigger Rd off Neilson rd. It goes up the east side of Sunrise Mountain. The road was never completed. It is like 17 degree but short. Like 1/4 mile. Decker Turnpike is a very nice climb from either side. Amity Rd in Byram is a good climb.


Here's what I calculated so far using topo software (which I don't regard as accurate, but it's quick + easy for me): 

* Crigger Rd on Sunrise Mt near Beemerville: total climb of 620 vertical ft, including about 400 ft around 12% steepness grade.

* Holland Mountain Rd near Stockholm: total climb 340 ft, including about 125 ft around 16-17% grade.

* Amity Rd near Andover: total 180 ft, including 165 ft around 12% grade.

[ Decker Turnpike I couldn't find. I did find a "Decker Rd" west of Sussex, but I didn't find anything like a steep climb on it. ]

Do those numbers sound like they're on the right track?

Ken


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## NJcycler

Ken Roberts said:


> I found some of those Sussex county climbs on the map. Are all those roads paved? or are they partly dirt?
> 
> 
> 
> Here's what I calculated so far using topo software (which I don't regard as accurate, but it's quick + easy for me):
> 
> * Crigger Rd on Sunrise Mt near Beemerville: total climb of 620 vertical ft, including about 400 ft around 12% steepness grade.
> 
> * Holland Mountain Rd near Stockholm: total climb 340 ft, including about 125 ft around 16-17% grade.
> 
> * Amity Rd near Andover: total 180 ft, including 165 ft around 12% grade.
> 
> [ Decker Turnpike I couldn't find. I did find a "Decker Rd" west of Sussex, but I didn't find anything like a steep climb on it. ]
> 
> Do those numbers sound like they're on the right track?
> 
> Ken


would love to get my hands on Topo software like that. Crigger I thought was steeper but it has been a while. I'll have to go do it again soon. Holland Mountain sounds about right. it is pretty hard but i love doing it. i think you get up to like a 1200' elevation. Amity sounds about right except i think it is longer but not sure. can you look up Phil Hardin Rd? it is north of Newton and goes from Rt 94 to Ridge road. (519). It is a pretty steep climb.
Decker isn't super steep. it is just long. several miles. it runs from the stokes side crigger up to sussex rt 519. the back side near sussex has a pretty steep section.


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## Ken Roberts

I think if some of you Sussex riders want to publicly share accurate info about smaller Sussex climbs of local interest, I think it will work better if you put it on a personal web page and I (and others) can then link to it.
(If it disagrees with my page about the steepness numbers for some climbs, that's just fine with me, since measuring steepness is kinda tricky anyway).

Because I'm soon going to run out of energy for keeping up to date info about climbs that I'm not ever likely to do myself. I don't live near Sussex county, so while I might sometimes drive to Vernon for that amazing _collection_ of climbs around there (along with nearby New York state, e.g. Kain Rd), I'm not likely to drive another half hour to search out some lone single 12% road somewhere else.

Phil Hardin Rd: I get about 200 vertical feet at steepness around 12-14% grade.

Fairview Hill: about 200 ft total, including 110 vertical feet around 11-13% grade. (northwest off rt 94 down near Fredon and Warren county, I mention it because it's in such a beautiful setting).

Ken


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## NJcycler

*Np*

i don't think there is a road in the county i have not cycled so if you ever want any information just let me know. undersatnd about not worth driving to sussex to ride some hill. if I can't make it somewhere riding from my house I don't bother. not that in to loading the bike on the car and driving to cycle unless it is vermont.


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## Ken Roberts

NJcycler said:


> ... not that in to loading the bike on the car and driving to cycle unless it is vermont.


Funny, Vermont is one of the places which I do _not_ think is much worth driving for road biking. 
For me, there's stuff which is at least as good much closer.
Like for climbing on roads, the Gunks in southern NY. (or for my tastes the Musconetcong + Montana area in west NJ). For farmland roads, Columbia county + northern Dutchess county NY have a larger network of interesting quiet roads with pretty farms.

Ken


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## Hunyak

I finally rode Warrenville Rd this morning! 

I've been wanting to ride it for 2 years now, ever since I read this post.

It is definitely a Beotch ! 

But it's good practice for Hillier...


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