Jungle Habitat

From JORBA

I Dig Jungle Habitat

[edit] Overview

A former Safari Theme Park operated by Warner Brothers formerly known as Jungle Habitat, the 800 acre parcel is technically part of Long Pond Ironworks State Park and administered by the Superintendents of Ringwood State Park. With the support and guidance of Ramapo Valley Cycling and many locals including Team Town Cycle, the park has been transformed from a creepy, unused, dumping ground to one of NJ's newest trail systems in-progress.

The multi-use, stacked-loop trail network is currently being built from scratch using IMBA's Trail Solutions as a guide and its expected that the project will remain a work in progress for the next 2-3 years. Although only 9-10 miles of new single track exists today this will increase over time and longer rides can be created by linking up some legacy double track and pavement from the old safari loop.

[edit] News

June 30, 2010. The Jungle is open. Go for a ride.

June 24, 2010. The Jungle temporarily closed due to bear issues.

Keep up with latest conditions and announcements with our Jungle Habitat Twitter feed

Trail builders, come on over and have a beer in the Trail Builders Lounge

[edit] Current conditions

12/24/10 You might want to avoid lower chute. The stream near the bottom is frozen, riding is...slick.

Hewitt Weather Forecast, NJ

JUNGLE HABITAT Conditions Page here

[edit] Location

GPS Address: 104 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ 07480

[edit] Trail Maps

[edit] Latest

Jungle Habitat Map

This map was designed to be downloaded and printed on a color printer. The Map is a PNG image file. To print this file download it and then in Windows right click on the image-choose full page photo, de-select the Fit picture to frame option and you should get a full page map.

View Larger Map

[edit] Legacy

rev. 2009.12.19 in PNG rev. 20080606 in JPG rev. 20080606 in PDF

These are "Unofficial Trail Maps", not maps produced by State of NJ.

Jungle Habitat Placebike

[edit] Trail Descriptions

[edit] Animal Shute

This is an intermediate trail designed to ride equally well in both directions. Some will find it more fun in the uphill, while others claim its most fun going down. You be the judge.

This trail gets you from the front gate and takes you up to the old 80 acre macadam parking lot

[edit] Baboon Ridge

Approved, construction to begin asap. This will be an advanced/expert trail

[edit] Baboon Rock

Approved, waiting to be built. This will be an expert trail

[edit] Cages

Also known as "Boneyard". We're making some tweaks here and there but its open and ridable. The trail is tight twisty intermediate single track that connects up otter slide past the tanks then dumps you onto the road across from the entrance into Tiger Pen.

[edit] Dumptruck Climb

This is an intermediate trail that features 3-4 advanced features and an advanced climb.

[edit] Dumptruck Hill Loop

This this is an intermediate trail that features a half dozen advanced rock features.

[edit] Fish

Full Name: So Long and Thanks For All The Fish

Fish Complete! This is an advanced trail featuring rock spines and bar width tight trees. This trail is fun up or down, although a bit of base-line fitness is required to clean this climb. To ride downhill, good brakes and finesse are required.

You can get to this trail by climbing the Dumptruck Climb and making a left into a rhododendron stand. This is the uphill direction.

Or, you can get to it by climbing Safari 2 and entering Tiger Pen which runs into Fish near the Baboon Pen.

[edit] Goat

This is intermediate (or advanced) trail feature super narrow, tight, technical single track with some advanced rock features.

[edit] Otter Slide

Construction began May 24 May 2009. Otter slide completes a single track climb to the top of Jungle eliminating the road climb.

[edit] Rhino

An awesome new loop stacked onto Otter Slide. The trail starts to the right of the boulder near the top of Otter Slide.

[edit] Tiger Pen

Complete! This is be an intermediate/advanced trail featuring rocks, roots and tight trees.

[edit] Warthog

Intermediate with some advanced rock gardens and tight technical turns.

[edit] Recommended Loops

[edit] The Warthog and Back loop

From the front gate turn in by the kiosk, and make a fast right. Climb up Animal Shute and take a right towards the parking lot. Bear right again as the lot opens up and as you begin climbing a small hill and the back lot comes into view, keep an eye out for the entrance to Warthog. Make a right into Warthog and ride until you exit onto the Pedestrian area. At this point you can turn around and ride Warthog backwards, or ride out of the ped area (keep bearing left until you see the parking lot) and ride across the parking lot and enter the top of Animal Shute. Ride Shute the end and the kiosk and front gate will be right in front of you. Total Miles: about 12 if you ride Warthog both ways, about 7 if you do Warthog 1 way.

[edit] Full Monty, or nearly so

Short version: Upper Shute to Warthog to Otter then Tiger, Fish, Dumptruck, Lower Shute.

Full description: from the car, make a left at the kiosk, then immediate right onto Middle and Upper Shute (RED). At the macadam lot, hit the tunnels, ride ped area to Warthog (WHITE). Exit Warthog right, look for entrance to Otter Slide (note the old Otter tank) and climb Otter to the tanks. A new trail is being built in this area (called "Cages") but in the meantime, take the double track downhill to pavement, then make left then a quick right into Tiger Pen (ORANGE). Ride Tiger Pen out to 4 way intersection, stay straight onto Fish (ORANGE), ride downhill, make right towards powerline, up short hill then re-enter the woods on slightly downhill to your left. Ride out to pavement (a new trail will appear straight ahead later this year) then down steep hill. at the first flat spot, look for entrance on right, up and over the tricky rock feature, around Dumptruck Hill then back to the start (a lollipop loop). Re-climb steep asphalt hill, make right into woods, re-trace your path until you reach the bottom of Fish, but then stay straight and ride downhill, thru fence, then out to road. make left onto pavement then re-enter woods after the stream on your right (this is "lower shute"). Finish with technical yet gentle climb back to kiosk, then right turn to your car.

Mileage?

[edit] Trail Ambassadors

Tom Hennigan Steve Lynn Jeff Mergler

[edit] Reviews

mtbNJ

Mountain Bike Review (MTBR)

[edit] GPS Tracks

[edit] History

Jungle Habitat Now Open

The property where Jungle Habitat currently resides was purchased in the early 1970's by Warner Brothers and a safari theme park was built and opened in 1973. The first year the park operated, major traffic problems ensued on Greenwood Lake Turnpike, causing a torrent of complaints. However, in year two, the safari loops were re-oriented and a new entrance was created on Airport Road next to Greenwood Lake Airport, which improved the situation. In 1975 Warner Brothers proposed a $20 million expansion to include a number of new attractions including a roller coaster and more kiddie rides. There is some speculation that Warner Brothers felt that the presence of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson NJ, with its safari and amusement park rides, posed enough competition and justification to warrant the expansion. However, it appears (according to Jungle Habitat on WikiPedia) that the damage was done and township residents had had enough: the township narrowly voted down the proposed expansion.

So with expansion plans out of the question, and sales down in year 3 (see A Look Back, When lions and tigers roamed free, its reported that "on Oct. 31, 1976 the park closed its gates for good" and "the animals were sold off to zoos and parks". There are rumors that some animals were left to starve on-site although we do not know if this is urban legend or truth.

In any case, the state purchased the land and it sat unused for several decades becoming overgrown and becoming grist for Weird NJ and Abandoned But not Forgotten. In November 2006, 64 volunteers from Ramapo Valley Cycling/JORBA coordinated a Trail cleanup at former Jungle Habitat (original flyer) and hauled off 2 dumpsters worth of junk in an effort to prep the park for safe, public use. The intention of the work was to remove as much of the dangerous items and eyesores, yet leave "interesting remnants" intact. Since then, under permission and guidance of Ringwood State Park, JORBA has coordinated over 15 trail work days, and over 1000 hours of volunteer time to build the beginnings of a non-motorized, multi-use trail network.