The Next Phase of Sterling Forest Has Begun

Palisades MTB will break ground in September on the 3-mile Red Back South trail in Sterling Forest State Park (see map).  When completed in late 2025, Sterling Forest will boast 15 miles of mountain bike trails, ranging from fast and flowy to seriously technical.

Palisades MTB has hired a leading professional trail contractor, Tahawus Trails, to speed up construction. The contractor will excavate the trail's rocky areas, create turns and features, and build a stone bridge over a stream.

Palisades MTB seeks to raise an additional $50k by May 1, 2025, to pay Tahawus Trails for construction. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Palisades MTB is a 501c(3) charitable organization registered as a New York State charity.  Your contributions are tax-deductible and may be matched by your employer.  Our EIN is 47-4214647.  We also welcome contributions made through your DAF.   Please get in touch with info@palisadesmtb.org for details.

Checks can be made out to Palisades MTB and mailed to:
Palisades MTB
5 Colgate St.
Closter, NJ, 07624

Project Plan and Background

Sterling Forest Trail Plan implementation

October 2015: Broke ground for 8-mile multi-use trail

  • Designed for sustainable use by hikers and bikers

  • ~4 miles also for equestrians

  • Parking at either end of the loop

Construction led by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

  • Paid Trail Conference staff supervised by a volunteer workforce

  • AmeriCorps volunteers provided the bulk of the labor

  • Assisted by JORBA, Palisades MTB, and other volunteers

2021–2023 Accelerating Sterling Forest Trail construction

45 miles of multi-use trails planned

The Building Process

Hand finishing a machine-built trail

Why we need equipment

Trails built in 2021–2024

  • Augusta Mine and McKeag’s Meadow Trails

    • Finished ~5,500 linear feet on the Augusta Mine Trail between late September 2021 and October 2022

    • Roughed ~850 linear feet on McKeag’s/Augusta Connector

    • Helped Trail Conference finish McKeag’s/Augusta connector

    • Roughed out ~900 linear feet on McKeag’s Meadow Trail South

    • The trail was opened in October 2022

  • Redback Section “E” to McKeag’s Meadow

    • Roughed out ~3300 linear feet on Red Back North in difficult terrain

    • Volunteers completed Red Back North by June 2024

    • PMTB and the NYNJ Trail Conference collaborated in the summer of 2024 to complete repairs and realign McKeags Meadow and Redback.

    • A secondary 5.1-mile loop was opened in 2024

  • PMTB Volunteer Hours 2021-2024

  • Augusta Mine Trail, Redback, Redback/McKeags

  • September 1, 2021, through April 1, 2025.

  • 636 completed sessions

  • 2,822.87 participant hours

  • $96,550 Value of volunteer hours at prevailing wages

2024 Current Redback South Funding

Total project cost is $186,000.

75%