We’re proposing to host a new charity cycling event for avid cyclists on Saturday, November 21, 2026 (chosen for a favorable low-tide window on the beach segment). No rain date.
Route info:
Metrics (≈21.5 miles / ~1,180 ft elevation gain)
Start and finish: Sandy Hook Parking Lot B.
Approximate legs:
1 Park multi-use path (NPS). Riders leave Lot B on the multi-use path toward the Sea Bright beach
access indicated on the attached municipal-boundary map.
2 Dune transition (walk only). At the designated Sea Bright access, riders dismount and walk bicycles
on the existing trail across protected or protecting dunes to open sand. No riding on dunes or vegetation.
3 Beach (Borough of Sea Bright only). Riders remount and ride the open beach south to just south of
Via Ripa Street, turn around, and reverse the same line north. This beach segment is entirely within
Sea Bright. It is not on NPS beach. The attached map shows the Fee Plaza / southern park entrance
as the federal–municipal line; Sea Bright begins immediately south of that line. Sea Bright has
indicated bicycles are allowed on its beach. We will time this leg for low tide and instruct riders to
use the firm, dampened sand.
4 Return to Lot B. Riders walk the dune trail again, remount on the multi-use path, and return through Lot B.
5 Park roads (NPS). From the end of Lot B, riders enter northbound Hartshorne Drive, then Atlantic Drive to
Kilpatrick Road, Canfield Road, and Kearney Road, then Hartshorne Drive south to the park exit.
Riders use park roads, not the Route 36 multi-use path, to exit, onto Route 36 north bike lane.
6 Highlands and Hartshorne Woods (municipal / Monmouth County Park System). Exit into Highlands from Route 36 north then South Bay Avenue to Portland Road and into Hartshorne Woods Park. Trails: Grand Tour → Cuesta Ridge Trail → Laurel Ridge
Trail → Grand Tour, then exit the park onto Portland Road.
7 Return. Portland Road to the Route 36 south bike lane, re-enter Sandy Hook at the park entrance,
and finish at Lot B.
Full GPX track and elevation profile, linked above
Individual starts at 30-second intervals. Open to avid cyclists only. Prizes include gift cards and trophies. All proceeds benefit charity.
The route deliberately limits the dune crossing to a short, controlled walking segment out of respect for resource protections, while offering a demanding mix of open beach, park road, highway bike lane, and forested trails.
We are posting the complete GPX and this proposal so The National Park Service and Monmouth County Park System staff can review the exact course and it’s bounds advise on required permits or adjustments.
Comments, conditions, or suggested refinements from the managing agencies and the cycling community are welcome.
Wish us luck in getting this event approved.
— Ride to Remember organizing team
