# How are conditions on Mott Farm Road near Tomkins Cove?



## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

I've been eyeing this route for awhile but a bit hesitant to try it because of the lack of shoulder I'm seeing on Google maps. I would be approaching Mott Farm Road from 9W and entering on the east end then looping back to 9W to take me back to Brooklyn. 

Any advice on vehicle traffic, best route back to 9W, difficulty of climbs, etc, would be appreciated. I did the round trip from Brooklyn to Bear Mountain summit a few weekends ago as a point of comparison. Harder, easier? 

Thanks in advance.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

Well, it seems strange for you to be worrying about the lack of shoulder on a local, low-traffic road if you're coming from Brooklyn. By the time you get to Mott Farm Rd, you've already cycled far more dangerous roads, including parts of 9W that don't have any shoulder and people routinely exceed 50 mph (or more). Mott Farm road, and the rest of the local roads in Tomkins Cove/Stony Pt have far less, and far slower, traffic. I've never had any issue on those roads, people are much more familiar with cycle traffic than they were 20 years ago, believe me, and know better how to drive around cyclists. You still get the occasional yahoo who will pass when they shouldn't, but with the low traffic and the low speeds due to hills and curves, it isn't a serious problem.

To get back to 9W: 
- short route, after the initial climb on Mott Farm road (not very steep), turn left on Buckberg Mtn. road (very steep climb, though not very long), this road will bring you back to the Cove deli, after a descent.
- longer route: continue on Mott Farm rd past Buckberg Mtn road to T-intersection with Cedar Flats/Bulsontown road. Turn left on Bulsontown road, (gradual climb) once you pass Franck road on the left you'll descend, Wayne ave. will join from the left at an acute angle, immediately after that road joins take a left on W. Main St., that will take you back to 9W just N of the bridge in Stony Pt. (I think it is the Liberty bridge?).

There are other routes, including riding up to Harriman (at Mott Farm rd T-intersection with Bulsontown/Cedar Flats, turn right (instead of left) on Cedar Flats road (steep initial climb that is short), then down to end of the road at Gate Hill Rd, then right up Gate Hill Road to Willow Grove Road (some steep climbing), then right up into Harriman (more climbing) or left on Willow Grove, which you can take back to 9W).

Lots of nice twisty, hilly low traffic roads in Tomkins Cove/Stony Pt. to explore.

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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks D&MsDad – great information. I was mainly concerned about some of the tight curves that might limit the sight lines for drivers. Good to know people are aware/respectful of cyclists as they drive on the local roads.

The longer route that includes Bulsontown Road looks really nice – I'll most likely follow those cues. 

Really appreciate the detailed reply.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

To get out of the 9W rut, try going a little West to County Road (Hudson Terr, left on E. Palisades Ave, right on Woodland to end, left on E. Clinton, bear right at light to get on County rd). 
You can follow that road (turns into Piermont Rd) to Piermont, then either go East on Ferdon to Piermont Ave up through Nyack and back to 9W, or go West on 340 to Western Highway, follow Western Hwy to end, then left on W. Nyack road, right on Strawtown (after a couple of miles on Strawtown, turn right to continue on Strawtown instead of straight on Brewery), cross over 304, another mile or so either turn right on Haverstraw rd/South Mountain Road to get back to 9W, or turn left for a couple miles and then turn right on Little Tor (up and over High Tor, a steep climb), right on 202, left on Central Hwy, then right and you're back on 9W in Stony Point just before the bridge.

9W can be fun, but there are other ways to go. All of the roads I've mentioned are rideable, difficult to provide turn-by-turn instructions in a post, look at Google maps, the general directions above should give you some good ideas. 

The roads to avoid in Rockland are 303, 59, 304, most parts of 202, and 9W between Sparkill and Nyack (IMHO). Most of the rest of the roads are rideable.

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## Wetworks (Aug 10, 2012)

I like to leave from Piermont and just take 9W, although I would love if they'd fix the shoulder leading to the Helix.


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

D&MsDad said:


> To get out of the 9W rut, try going a little West to County Road (Hudson Terr, left on E. Palisades Ave, right on Woodland to end, left on E. Clinton, bear right at light to get on County rd).
> You can follow that road (turns into Piermont Rd) to Piermont, then either go East on Ferdon to Piermont Ave up through Nyack and back to 9W, or go West on 340 to Western Highway, follow Western Hwy to end, then left on W. Nyack road, right on Strawtown (after a couple of miles on Strawtown, turn right to continue on Strawtown instead of straight on Brewery), cross over 304, another mile or so either turn right on Haverstraw rd/South Mountain Road to get back to 9W, or turn left for a couple miles and then turn right on Little Tor (up and over High Tor, a steep climb), right on 202, left on Central Hwy, then right and you're back on 9W in Stony Point just before the bridge.
> 
> 9W can be fun, but there are other ways to go. All of the roads I've mentioned are rideable, difficult to provide turn-by-turn instructions in a post, look at Google maps, the general directions above should give you some good ideas.
> ...


Ah yes, "9W rut" is an apt description. I will often take Henry Hudson drive (aka River Road) or the Woodland route to avoid that stretch of 9W, but I've always swung back to 9W at E. Clinton. I should definitely check out Piermont Road. 

Coming from the city, it's really helpful to get detailed knowledge of local roads. The list of roads to avoid helps tremendously, too. 

Thanks much!


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

I believe you're talking about the road between Congers and Haverstraw? Yeah, it's pretty bad, with a lot of debris. Some of the potholes come up pretty fast on the descent, so you have to be careful. 

The rough section between Upper Nyack and Congers was just repaved and it's fantastic.


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## Wetworks (Aug 10, 2012)

jta said:


> I believe you're talking about the road between Congers and Haverstraw? Yeah, it's pretty bad, with a lot of debris. Some of the potholes come up pretty fast on the descent, so you have to be careful.
> 
> The rough section between Upper Nyack and Congers was just repaved and it's fantastic.


Yup, that's the spot I'm talking about. Easily the sketchiest part of that ride, both directions. 

Yes! Love that it was finally paved!!!


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

To avoid that part of 9W, it's pretty easy to take Lake Road (either one, the one at the South end of Rockland Lake, or the one at the North end) across 303 to Kings Highway. Then take Kings Highway North to Congers road and either continue straight on Old Haverstraw Road to 304, right on 304 back to 9W, or when Kings Highway intersects Congers Road, go West down the hill to Ridge Road, and up Ridge Road as described above.

As you can tell, I try to avoid 9W where possible, it gets boring and there are several alternatives. 

At one time, the trail along the Hudson starting at Nyack beach was rideable (slow, certainly, but rideable) to Riverside Ave in Haverstraw, but after Sandy it was no longer possible. I haven't tried it in a long while, I don't know if they've fixed it. Obviously you could never do it in the summer when there is a lot of foot traffic (at least I wouldn't), but in colder weather it was doable. Maybe I'll check it out when it gets colder.


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

I also ride up from Brooklyn, riding on Mott Fram road or Bucksberg is really no problem at all.
Also yeah that path down by Nyack lake state park is fine to ride now as long as you go slow and dont mind dealing with all of the dog walkers.


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

@Trener, thanks for the follow-up info. Assuming it's a really nice ride this time of year. Will try to get up there in the next few weeks...


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

Sure thing, I hope that you enjoy.


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

D&MsDad said:


> Well, it seems strange for you to be worrying about the lack of shoulder on a local, low-traffic road if you're coming from Brooklyn. By the time you get to Mott Farm Rd, you've already cycled far more dangerous roads, including parts of 9W that don't have any shoulder and people routinely exceed 50 mph (or more). Mott Farm road, and the rest of the local roads in Tomkins Cove/Stony Pt have far less, and far slower, traffic. I've never had any issue on those roads, people are much more familiar with cycle traffic than they were 20 years ago, believe me, and know better how to drive around cyclists. You still get the occasional yahoo who will pass when they shouldn't, but with the low traffic and the low speeds due to hills and curves, it isn't a serious problem.
> 
> To get back to 9W:
> 
> ...


Dredging up an old thread, I know, but funny I was finally able to ride this route yesterday. I ran out of riding season in 2019 and couldn't ride in 2020 due to an injury. I took the Buckberg Mtn. route and thoroughly enjoyed it. The descent was a blast and a little reward after that short, but steep climb. Next time I'll take the longer route. 

Thanks again for the great tips and cues.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

jta said:


> Dredging up an old thread, I know, but funny I was finally able to ride this route yesterday. I ran out of riding season in 2019 and couldn't ride in 2020 due to an injury. I took the Buckberg Mtn. route and thoroughly enjoyed it. The descent was a blast and a little reward after that short, but steep climb. Next time I'll take the longer route.
> 
> Thanks again for the great tips and cues.


No problem, glad you enjoyed the ride. Tomkin's Cove is a schlep from Brooklyn, but it's not far from where I live (1 hr by bike) so I get up there pretty often. (I actually used to rent an apt in a house at the junction of Mott Farm and Buckberg Mtn, so I know the roads fairly well). 

As far as non-rideable roads in the Haverstraw/Stony Pt/Tomkins Cove area, I'd have to say that the east-west road 202 is not one I use, except for short stretches where there's no alternative (for example, to connect Central Hwy with Little Tor road). I don't ride Gate Hill Road until necessary, it has a nice shoulder but roads that parallel it are more interesting (Cedar Flats; Bullsontown, W. Main). In Haverstraw, I tend to stay away from 9W and drop down into Haverstraw and use the surface streets (Riverside/West/Broadway/Samsondale/Tanneyanns/Beach/River/Grassy Point) then take E Main or Tomkins back up to 9W in Stony Point.

(Warning: putting on my curmudgeon hat now) One of the disadvantages of gps is that many people no longer have paper maps of the area they want to go to that they can spread out and use to plot routes. I still have a lot of paper maps from long ago, and will drag them out and spread them on the floor to plot new routes to try. IMHO you can tell a lot more about a route from a paper map than a small screen on a phone. Even on a computer monitor, it just is not the same. I even see people in the woods trying to hike trails using their phones rather than a paper map - which in my opinion is just crazy.


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

D&MsDad said:


> As far as non-rideable roads in the Haverstraw/Stony Pt/Tomkins Cove area, I'd have to say that the east-west road 202 is not one I use, except for short stretches where there's no alternative (for example, to connect Central Hwy with Little Tor road). I don't ride Gate Hill Road until necessary, it has a nice shoulder but roads that parallel it are more interesting (Cedar Flats; Bullsontown, W. Main). In Haverstraw, I tend to stay away from 9W and drop down into Haverstraw and use the surface streets (Riverside/West/Broadway/Samsondale/Tanneyanns/Beach/River/Grassy Point) then take E Main or Tomkins back up to 9W in Stony Point.


Yes, a bit of a shlep and looking for some good, safe alternate routes, so checking them out. Around Haverstraw, I stay on Bike Rte 9 for the reasons you mention. Looking at S Tweed/Tweed Blvd/Blauvelt State Park to connect from Piermont to S Nyack, which looks like a really nice stretch of road. 



D&MsDad said:


> (Warning: putting on my curmudgeon hat now) One of the disadvantages of gps is that many people no longer have paper maps of the area they want to go to that they can spread out and use to plot routes. I still have a lot of paper maps from long ago, and will drag them out and spread them on the floor to plot new routes to try. IMHO you can tell a lot more about a route from a paper map than a small screen on a phone. Even on a computer monitor, it just is not the same. I even see people in the woods trying to hike trails using their phones rather than a paper map - which in my opinion is just crazy.


Hilarious. Wandering off into the wilderness using a phone for navigation. What could go wrong? I use a Cateye Padrone Smart + computer, which is GPS enabled when synced with a smart phone, but I usually don't bother syncing. I just use the speed and cadence sensor for ride data. Pre-ride, I do use Google maps with street view to get an idea of what a route looks like, but I benefit from a large 27" monitor used for work. I'll eventually get a Garmin or Wahoo, but in no hurry. I know I'm a bit of a Luddite in this respect.

Thanks again for these tips. Definitely will refer to them for future rides.


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## D&MsDad (Jul 17, 2007)

jta said:


> Yes, a bit of a shlep and looking for some good, safe alternate routes, so checking them out. Around Haverstraw, I stay on Bike Rte 9 for the reasons you mention. Looking at S Tweed/Tweed Blvd/Blauvelt State Park to connect from Piermont to S Nyack, which looks like a really nice stretch of road.


The slope from 9W up S Tweed is REALLY steep, for a short pitch (about 50 yards or so). Steep enough that you have to concentrate on maintaining rear wheel traction. It is doable if you have low enough gears or are a beast, but be warned. I'm pretty much a rec rider, never raced, and I can make it up, but then I have a touring bike with a triple crank and a low gear of 22 x 32. That said, Tweed is nice, particularly after you pass the junction with Clausland Mtn. road, from there to the end at Bradley Hill road.

If you're a true masochist, try starting from Piermont Ave, go up Ash street (you'll make a hairpin left about 2/3 of the way up), you'll meet up with the jug handle road (it says Broadway on my map), you'll have to go right (it is one way), then go South on 9W for 30 yards or so and take the right on Tweed. Be careful, there's nearly always grit/sand/gravel at the junction of 9W and Tweed, so you can't maintain much momentum and as I said you'll need to keep your weight on your rear wheel for traction on that first steep bit.


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## jta (Jun 27, 2012)

D&MsDad said:


> The slope from 9W up S Tweed is REALLY steep, for a short pitch (about 50 yards or so). Steep enough that you have to concentrate on maintaining rear wheel traction. It is doable if you have low enough gears or are a beast, but be warned. I'm pretty much a rec rider, never raced, and I can make it up, but then I have a touring bike with a triple crank and a low gear of 22 x 32. That said, Tweed is nice, particularly after you pass the junction with Clausland Mtn. road, from there to the end at Bradley Hill road.
> 
> If you're a true masochist, try starting from Piermont Ave, go up Ash street (you'll make a hairpin left about 2/3 of the way up), you'll meet up with the jug handle road (it says Broadway on my map), you'll have to go right (it is one way), then go South on 9W for 30 yards or so and take the right on Tweed. Be careful, there's nearly always grit/sand/gravel at the junction of 9W and Tweed, so you can't maintain much momentum and as I said you'll need to keep your weight on your rear wheel for traction on that first steep bit.


Yes, I was able to ride this route a few weeks ago and took the longer route up from Piermont Avenue. I figured it would be pretty steep with the hairpin turns and did get a bit of surprise entering S Tweed. I'm riding a Cervelo R3 with a low gear ratio of 25/34. It's a decent climbing bike so I was able to manage it okay. These nice, hilly routes may send me shopping for a 28T cassette at some point soon, however 

That stretch between Clausland Mtn Rd and Bradley Hill Rd was amazing. Based on your great info, I found another thread in which you provided information on Harriman State Park. I may try to take advantage of the nice weather this holiday weekend to ride the longer Mott Farm loop or take one of the Harriman routes. 

Really appreciate your inputs. They're accurate and super helpful. THANKS MUCH!


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