# 9W/River Road Starting on NJ side of GW



## Bobonli (May 8, 2008)

Hello. I'm interested in riding on River Road / 9W but skipping the whole boondoggle that has become GW Bridge. I want to park my car on the Jersey side, ride,return and drive away. 

Can you please suggest some Free parking (public park, tolerant shopping center/bike shop) where I can safely leave my car for a few hours on a weekend.

I asked this in another thread related to 9W and the only reply was for a pay lot. I'd like to avoid that in case I run behind schedule on my ride; don't want to miss feeding the meter.

Thanks in advance.


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## Bluffplace (Jul 30, 2008)

On the weekends, you can find parking on Hudson Terrace. Its the same road as Strictly Bicycles.


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## dnmoss (Jun 27, 2008)

...or just ride over the bridge...you'll definitely save time and a toll, and I always find the view of the city to be pretty spectacular...

yeah, it gets crowded and sometimes dangerous, but you really want to sit in traffic for 20-60 minutes just to ride River Road and 9W?


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## Bobonli (May 8, 2008)

dnmoss said:


> ...or just ride over the bridge...you'll definitely save time and a toll, and I always find the view of the city to be pretty spectacular...
> 
> yeah, it gets crowded and sometimes dangerous, but you really want to sit in traffic for 20-60 minutes just to ride River Road and 9W?


Driving to the NJ side seems like the lesser of two evils. I'm coming from Nassau County, so I'm driving one way or another. I'm guessing there's a lot less hassle parking in Jersey, then fighting my way through Manhattan and searching for a parking spot. Any neighborhood I'm likely to find parking in quickly is probably not one I want to ride away from my car and leave unattended for 3 hours. 

I've ridden across the GWB. It is spectacular and I think the ride from say 64th St to the bridge would be nice. But parking will be a PITA. I rarely take the car into NYC anymore.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

i see a lot of cars with road bikes on top. they park and take their bikes down on the stretch of road along ht in front of strictly bicycles. good place to check in, grab a bar or cold drink, get some info from the locals, and then head out. about two three minutes after you leave strictly on your right, you leave the gw on your left and head down one mutha hill about a quarter/half mile. then there's a small entrance on the left onto the river road, you cant really miss it.

once you're on the road, after a short bit you actually pass under the gw, up and over a couple bumps. then after about five miles there's one of those traffic circles; as you go through it and keep going north, as soon as you're off the circle you go right on to a big hill, goes almost straight up for about a quarter mile. 

once you hit the top of that hill you feed into a wilder, slightly rougher section of the road. some nasty potholes, steep drops off the side, its a little hairy, if you dont know the route, probably best to take it slowish. going off the side would be a bummer. anyway, after the top of the hill leading in to that second section of the road, you go on for another four five miles, through another circle (only this time new pavement, nice) and then watch out, you hit a _monster, _mile long hill. its a toughie, especially if its hot out effini goes almost straight up. then your'e done, you pass a pallisades cop station and feed out onto 9w. you can head back along 9W, about ten twelve miles back towards the gw (there's a left turn at a traffic light, then right back onto hudon terrace, you'll see it, cyclists are using it frequently) that'll take you back to strictly. or, instead of taking 9w back, you can just turn around and take the river road back...either way...

nice ride...


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## lul77 (Jul 25, 2012)

if you head towards hoboken/ weehawken, there'll be a park to your left that you can park at for free. I park there when I don't feel like starting from jersey city. It's past the ferry and you're close when you see the light rail on your left.


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