Legality of wheelin where you shouldnt

[M23TLC]

I posted this here because I wanted to get some Jersey specific replies. Was wondering if any of you have been caught wheelin on property you shouldnt have been on (something that is anything but a designated park such as Rausch).

Just bought my 80 in Sept. and been out a few times to an area in Manchester. Its big fun but there are "no offroading" signs everywhere.



Id hate to get any kind of ticket/penalty for doing something so harmless. Curious to hear some stories...And if you didnt get caught, tell me where it is so I can go!!


BTW, looking forward to meeting some of you at the next outing if I can make it.

[cruiserhead]

You`ll wind up with a tresspassing ticket,and whatever else the officer feels like writing you on.There is a club meeting on the 23 of Feb,that`s this Saturday.Info is posted here.
David

[jonheld]

Originally Posted by M23TLC

Its big fun but there are "no offroading" signs everywhere.

If there are signs posted then they have obviously had problems with trespassers in the past. Like Dave says, you're in for trespassing at the very least, and I can think of several others off the top of my head that would let them impound the vehicle. Not worth it IMO.

We are having a GCLC meeting in Mahwah, NJ on the 23rd of Feb. You are more than welcome to attend. We do not support illegal wheeling activities but we can show you other places to wheel that are legal.

[Junk]

Not to mention, if you are disrepecting the rules and signs you're going to make it tougher on all of us. I understand the need and desire to get out but there are places where it can be done legally. Also, I wouldn't go posting pics on the web like that of being someplace you shouldn't be.

[RTrac1]

Exactly. Illegal wheeling of any sort supports the already bad image we have and makes it more difficult for the very few land use warriors we have on our side to get new spots open to us.

[daveg]

There are some nice trails/roads through Wharton State Forest that are legal to drive on, makes for a nice trip. I plan on being at the meeting Sat. and joining.


Dave G

[M23TLC]

In response to all, I understand and share your concerns. Its why I made this thread. Ive been to that area twice and have been brought there by others.

The first time I went, I had no idea I was doing something illegal till we got there. As I said, Im new to my 'Cruiser and new to the hobby. At that point I was already there so should a law enforcement person have seen us I was guilty either way. The second time we went, it wasnt planned for us to end up there. The intention was to go to some other spot, albeit a legal one. When we got there was I really going to tell my friends "You go wheel, Ill go home"...ummm, no.

But to prevent that scenario in the future, Im fully with you guys on keeping it legal. Im just afraid that doing that means driving a minimum 3 hours each way and I just dont have that kind of time to kill on a regular basis....What other legal spots are there besides Rausch and Paragon(not sure if thats open)?

[RTrac1]

living in the northeast, its very common to have to drive 2+ hours to wheel. It sucks but just the way it goes. :(

Im in upstate NY, but almost all my wheeling is done in central mass

[jonheld]

Originally Posted by M23TLC

Im just afraid that doing that means driving a minimum 3 hours each way and I just dont have that kind of time to kill on a regular basis

Unfortunately that's the reality of living close to the metropolitan area. Not a lot of open space and the authorities frown on it when you try to wheel in Central Park.

I will add that the places that we frequent (Rausch Creek and Dave's Place) are well worth the drive time. Paragon is no more and was a good hour closer to me than RC. Still, the terrain at RC is really excellent and I've come to grips with the drive time issue.

[Junk]

Originally Posted by M23TLC

In response to all, I understand and share your concerns. Its why I made this thread. Ive been to that area twice and have been brought there by others.

The first time I went, I had no idea I was doing something illegal till we got there. As I said, Im new to my 'Cruiser and new to the hobby. At that point I was already there so should a law enforcement person have seen us I was guilty either way. The second time we went, it wasnt planned for us to end up there. The intention was to go to some other spot, albeit a legal one. When we got there was I really going to tell my friends "You go wheel, Ill go home"...ummm, no.

But to prevent that scenario in the future, Im fully with you guys on keeping it legal. Im just afraid that doing that means driving a minimum 3 hours each way and I just dont have that kind of time to kill on a regular basis....What other legal spots are there besides Rausch and Paragon(not sure if thats open)?

Didn't mean to harp on you. There's not too many spots around, but there are a few.

[M23TLC]

So I did some searching online and found some good stuff (videos) down in the Pine Barrens. Im happy about that as it would only be a 1.5hr trip for me which is fine. Daveg mentioned Wharton which is what the bulk of what I found was. What I cant find is exact directions to the trail/area entrance. How could I go about getting this information considering I dont know anyone personally that goes there? Im sure you guys go there too, right?

BTW, wished I could make it there today for the meeting. Hopefully next time....

[Red Beard]

I do some wheeling by me, in Orange County NY. Both places I really gotta check out though. Some say don't go there, some say its been open for years, both places real good.
Mt. Beacon is one of them, some of you guys might have heard of it, you can see the city from the top of the mountain. I haven't been there yet, a lot of my friends go up on the walking trails and say the spot a lot of "Jeep Trails" on the mountain and a lot of bikers. According to my welding teacher, who dirtbikes everywhere, he says it was illegal at some time then was overturned and the gates been unlocked ever since.
Would you guys be intrested in wheeling in this area? Its 10 minutes from West Point, and 20 minutes from Orange County Choppers..

[jonheld]

AFAIK, Beacon, NY has been closed for years. I would check with the local authorities or at the very least do a drive-by and look for signs/gates/fences/etc.

Report your findings. I would assume it's still off lmits as none of the local clubs (jeep or whatever) have mentioned this place in years.

[brooklyn]

I did some searching on this and couldn't find any references to 4x4 access. But maybe it being kept on the down-low by the locals....

[Red Beard]

Yeah. i really gotta check it out in person, its a little bit of a drive from my house but if I go that way, across the bridge, I'll be sure to check it out. Which "authorities" should I check with? DEC or Police? I feel like the Police will just say don't do it because they don't know and just don't want to deal with it.

[jgordon]

I'd be up for an exploratory run. If it's public land, the gate's open and there are no signs, I'm willing to gently push until someone tells me not to.

[RTrac1]

The proper way is to go to the town assessors office, look on the taxmaps and determine who owns the land, then ask them if its open.