Guest blog by Julian Bender
Can you go bikepacking from Philadelphia?
“Bikepacking” is any trip on a bicycle that’s more than a day long. Typically, it involves camping and carrying your supplies and equipment on your bike. Also known as “bike touring,” it’s an excellent way to explore anywhere two wheels can take you.
The Jersey Devil Hunt is a new bikepacking route through the New Jersey Pine Barrens, connected by train to 30th Street Station. Read on to learn more!
Philadelphia and its surroundings have some great places to ride bikes—as a Bicycle Coalition supporter, you know that already! The Schuylkill River, the Perkiomen, the D&L, and many more trails connect the region. You can even follow the Schuylkill River as far as the Appalachians, if you have the time and don’t mind some road riding.
But Philadelphia is not a city with real access to the wilderness. Right?
The Pine Barrens say otherwise. Just past the suburban sprawl of South Jersey, an expanse of pine woods the size of Yosemite National Park is packed with more than 600 miles of sandy back roads. In the heart of the mid-Atlantic, this wild region has remained pure and mysterious. Parts of its road network date back to the precolonial era, and even today, old wagon roads and bridges still look much as they did in the 18th century.
But riding there is no walk in the park. Once you get away from the few paved highways, the cycling conditions are unforgiving. Deep, soft “sugar sand” means only fat-tired bikes can pass many of the trails, and permanent flooding obstructs many more.
Dealing with these conditions requires a fatbike and a healthy dose of masochism, so few are inclined to tackle them. With no friends who like to punish themselves in that particular way, I’ve spent many mostly-solitary hours exploring the Pinelands on two wheels, in the form of overnight trips over the past fourteen years. Among all the dead ends, puddles, and sand pits, I’ve found the Pines to be full of amazing natural beauty.
In an effort to share the unique magic of the Pine Barrens with other bikepacking enthusiasts, I spent much of 2024 mapping out a route through the region—and one that could be ridden by the general public without undue difficulty!
The end result: the Jersey Devil Hunt bikepacking route! Rideable by a normal gravel bike, it avoids the sugar sand dunes and flooded roads. It’s also built for car-free access! Beginning in Trenton and ending in Atlantic City, it connects two train stations that link to 30th Street, making Philadelphia an easy launching point.
Named after the 300-year-old legend of a flying monster that haunts the forest, the route is meant to be a tour of the region that can be enjoyed by anyone with a bike meant to go off pavement. Along its 171 miles, the Jersey Devil Hunt shows off the best of the Pine Barrens: vast and wild woods, shadowy cedar swamps, lakes and coastal marshes full of wildlife, small local towns, colonial-era ruins and history, and finally the Jersey Shore.
It’s not an event or a guided tour—it’s a public, well-mapped route that can be ridden whenever you like. I’ve built a website with a wealth of free maps and GPS files, as well as planning information and advice to help you get out on the trail. There’s a Facebook group where riders can connect and share stories or updates.
The 171-mile Jersey Devil Hunt takes most people 3 days to complete, but it’s also doable in 2 or 4 days, depending on your pace. State-run campsites along the way make it easy to plan overnight stops, and food and water are readily accessible along most of the way. You can even split the route into two weekend-length outings, by using a train station close to the halfway point.
Developing the Jersey Devil Hunt has been my hobby and passion project for the last two years, and I’ve had a blast. My hope is to help other cyclists from near and far (but especially from near) discover the beauty of the Pine Barrens. I love sharing my two-wheeled adventures with the world, and the Pinelands are an ideal destination for bikepacking from Philadelphia. I hope to see you out in the Pines someday soon!
Find exhaustive information on the route and how to plan a trip at www.JerseyDevilHunt.com. Contact info@jerseydevilhunt.com with questions or trip reports. Connect with other riders in the Facebook group, and follow the Jersey Devil Hunt on Instagram @jerseydevilhuntbikepacking
To ride the Jersey Devil Hunt route from Philadelphia without using a car, take the SEPTA Trenton Line from 30th Street Station to Trenton, where the route begins. At the end, take the NJ Transit Atlantic City Line from Atlantic City back to 30th Street.
SEPTA trains accept bicycles at non-peak hours (peak = heading into the city on weekday mornings, or heading out of the city on weekday late afternoon/evenings). NJ Transit trains accept bikes at all times as long as there is room.
The Jersey Devil Hunt is rideable by gravel bikes or mountain bikes – with skinny road-bike tires, you won’t be able to cover the sandy terrain of the Pine Barrens.
Check out www.JerseyDevilHunt.com for maps, logistics, and info on how to plan a bikepacking trip!