Ideas for cruising to in northern NJ and the nearby NY/PA area

[IROCZman15]

I still have a good solid month before thinking about putting the car away for winter, and I plan on definitely doing another AutoCross event (November 17 at Met Life), and mayyybe a trip to Island Dragway for a test and tune. Still driving the car to work and around locally, but I was hoping to do a solid 100 mile cruise sometime soon with the car and was looking for ideas. My work schedule is wacky, so I will probably go on a weekday as to avoid the weekend driving masses. In fact, I may do it this Friday (Nov 2).

Was looking for ideas and input. I usually go up to the top point of NJ and just get "lost" driving around out up that way, but was thinking of maybe having a specific plan this time. Thinking of Highpoint State park, and then maybe up into NY to the Hawks Nest road up there. https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/4951-hawk-s-nest-road.html

Something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.8780003,-74.6179463/High+Point+State+Park,+1480+NJ-23,+Sussex,+NJ+07461/The+Hawks+Nest,+546+NY-97,+Sparrow+Bush,+NY+12780/@41.0610074,-74.7643692,11z/data=!4m16!4m15!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c343eb747939 d1:0x57dcc94742de0819!2m2!1d-74.6711204!2d41.3056209!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c34ef5f276d0 cd:0x167d7d4e4a232c3f!2m2!1d-74.733712!2d41.4206063!3e0

Anyone have any suggestions as to specific roads? Anyone want to join me? Probably leave after morning rush hour (say 10am) and be back before 3pm or so.
I also will bring my GoPro, but I would love to figure out why mine(or my case) records so much wind noise and others don't seem to do so.

If you want to join me, feel free !

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Hawks Nest is great unless you get stuck behind a truck.

I'm a much bigger fan of Seven Lakes and Bear Mountain, up to West Point area than Hawks Nest.

The cruise I invited you on last fall is happening again but far bigger. both he and TAkid455 have far better routes than I do.

[Blackbirdws6]

Bear mountain was a good drive. I enjoyed Hawks nest as well but would prefer that one to be in warmer temps since I like those curves a bit too much.

[ar0ck]

Bear Mountain & 7-Lakes drive on the weekends can be just as bad as Hawks nest and I find the road to be shorter instead of with Hawks Nest you can just keep driving into PA.

Working Sundays really cramps my style and I'm convinced its rained practically every weekend this year.

[IROCZman15]

Hawks Nest is great unless you get stuck behind a truck.

I'm a much bigger fan of Seven Lakes and Bear Mountain, up to West Point area than Hawks Nest.

The cruise I invited you on last fall is happening again but far bigger. both he and TAkid455 have far better routes than I do.

well, heck yea then!! looks like I wont be going on my own on a weekday and I will most likely be doing that big cruise this Saturday then ! Thanks Nick! Weather looks pretty good so yea, I am 99% in ! Sounds fun and promising. 350 miles is a lot of wheel time.

anybody else interested ?

[IROCZman15]

had a fun time today. Arrived at the meet-up spot at 8am despite downpouring rain. I wanted to get out and drive rain or shine. Apparently MANY of the other people who had planned on going decided to chicken out and it turned out to only be 4 cars total. The guy running it, Dave had a 1988 Porsche 944. his friend had a Subaru WRX, and the other guy drove over from NYC and usually has a BMW M3 but it was being worked on so his dealer/loaner car was a BMW 340 or something like that.

This was supposed to be a long 350 mile, 7 hour long cruise up through the top of NJ and into NY, through the Catskill Mountains, and then parts of Eastern PA... but poor weather caused a low turnout of cars so we just did a shorter version of it. Went to High Point State Park, the Hawks Nest Road, parts of NY state, parts of PA. Also stopped at a European/British car shop and hungout there for a bit. Found many cut-through roads with nice turns, good streches of roads and hills too. There is bad cell phone service up there so GPS navigation was not really what we use. I think we mostly just "found" our way around. On the way back I stopped to fuel up across the street from the Chatterbox, and when I drove by... the parking lot was empty and the place was indeed totally shut down (took a photo), was sad to see.

Overall, It was fun. The first two hours of the actual drive it was rainy. After that it was grey, windy, and the road was sloppy with wet leaves, branches, etc but the driving was definitely quick and speedy. Other slower traffic slowed us down at times but on most of the drive we could carve corners and run out straight always at a really good pace. Exciting driving, but nothing totally dangerous. I had a few brief moments where the back end kicked out a little bit in a turn but I quickly reeled it back in and continued on. My car got filthy, so I washed it up good when I got home. I checked my odometer when I got home and round-trip for me was about 183 miles.

Some photos:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1954/43886811080_735b56f7e7_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/29S8nWy)

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4886/45704601911_1f034a6473_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2cCL2PM)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1964/30764004357_533315f5c6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NSvyGe)

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4903/44979790814_dafbf49c7a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2bwHbJJ)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4876/44979785754_6fb071dafb_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2bwHaeu)

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4836/44979782954_e7517d03ff_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2bwH9pd)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4866/44790376195_8f4e0889c3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2beYonr)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1902/30763977787_ff36490847_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NSvqN8)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4866/30763974847_26b0af29f3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NSvpVr)

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Glad it worked out and you enjoyed it, wish I could've joined!

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Another one this weekend

[Blackbirdws6]

That's a nice bit of driving and glad you were able to take her out.

[IROCZman15]

yup, was a good time indeed

can't go this weekend...stuck working all weekend

next weekend is the final autocross event of the year up at MetLife stadium, probably going to go do that