Rails to Trails

As our roads become increasingly crowded with cars, golf carts, E-bikes and E-scooters, many demonstrating an alarming disregard for the rules of the roads, it’s a breath of fresh air for bicyclists with old-fashioned pedal power to find safe and serene paths to enjoy nature. One such option gathering nationwide steam is repurposing abandoned railroad beds into biking and walking paths. Dubbed “rails-to-trails”, this movement currently has three such options in Cape May County for bikes & pedestrians. Revolution Rail Company has a definitively more creative spin on the converted railroad bed experience. More on them later. Let’s start with the old-fashioned options.

The Jersey shore was a major vacation destination for residents of the Delaware Valley region throughout the early 20th century. From the 1890s to the 1930s, two parallel railroad lines, the Atlantic City Railroad and West Jersey & Seashore Railroads, shuttled passengers to the coast for a seashore break. At their peak the rail lines carried 1500 passengers per day into Cape May. The competing trains, visible to each other along the parallel tracks, famously raced to see which train could reach Cape May first. Tickets included a free lunch packed in a shoe box and distributed to guests as they departed the train. Hence the origin of the “shoobie” nickname. Due to decreased demand for passenger service, in 1933 the two companies merged and became the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line. 

Cape County has two connected rails-to-trails in their system: the Cold Spring Bike Path and Middle Township Bike Path. While not yet connected, the Woodbine Railroad Trail could soon join up. All three provide safe, family-friendly routes to popular destinations such as the Cape May County Park and Zoo and Belleplain State Forest.

Beginning from the south and running north, Cold Spring Bike Path occupies a segment of the former West Jersey and Seashore Railroad railbed. Starting at the southern endpoint of the Cold Spring Bike Path (sometimes called the Historic Cold Spring Village Bike Path) at Route 9 and Sandman Boulevard, the trail parallels Seashore Road as you travel under a canopy of trees and pass Lower Cape May Regional High School and Cape May National Golf Course on the right. Parking is available at the trail head.

It’s a one mile peddle to Historic Cold Spring Village. At this nonprofit open-air living history museum, trail users can view life as it was in the early to mid-19th century and enjoy a restored rail station. If you time it right in the afternoon, enjoy a beer (or two) at their brewery. A tasty non-alcoholic option is their Sarsaparilla, also brewed on premise.

Just south of where Route 9 meets Historic Cold Spring Village, the path crosses an intermittent stream on an 8-foot-wide, 40-foot-long trestle bridge. It’s common to find rows upon rows of turtles sunning themselves on logs in the spring and summer. 

Continuing north, one also has options to stop at Behr Brewing and Hawk Haven Winery. Both establishments are owned by husband-and-wife partners crafting their own versions of adult beverages. Once past the suburban community of Erma, at 2.7 miles, the Cold Spring Bike Path connects to the 8.9-mile Middle Township Bike Path. Running north along the Cape May Seashore Line rail bed through Erma, Rio Grande, Whitesboro, and Cape May Court House, the path ends at Cape May County Park and Zoo. While the zoo is a favorite destination for locals and tourists, the asphalt path also provides access to Railroad Avenue Park, 4-H Fairgrounds, Atlantic Cape Community College, and the Davies Sports Complex.

While yet unconnected, honorable mention goes to the Woodbine Railroad Trail which occupies the right-of-way of a former Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad line. This three-mile paved pathway traverses Woodbine as it parallels Dehirsch Avenue, a wide grassy median dotted with trees that safely separate it from the roadway. Patches of the trail are pleasantly wooded. The trail ends at the boundary of Belleplain State Forest.

To access the Woodbine Railroad Trail, take the Garden State Parkway North from Cape May to Exit 20. A stone’s throw from the exit, you’ll want to start with lunch or end with dinner at the Seaville Tavern (a local favorite and personally recommended). From there, follow Route 9 South to a right on County Route 550. As soon as you approach Woodbine, you will see a railroad bridge overhead. Take the first left past the bridge onto Fidler Hill Road. At the first light (Dehirsch Avenue), you will find parking. The trail starts here and heads north along Route 550.

For a more unique take on the rails-to-trails experience, rent a ride with Revolution Rails at the Welcome Center in the heart of Cape May. Their statement reads “at Revolution Rail, we transform historic railways into scenic rail biking pathways, inviting people of all ages and abilities closer to nature, history, and each other.”

The easiest way to describe their custom-built rail bikes (no steering, no stress) are recumbent bikes specifically designed to ride the rails. “Rev Rail” bikes are custom built in North Creek in the Adirondacks. Seat lengths are adjustable and even this 36” inseam rider had room to spare with no worry about a knee and chin collision. Rentals are available in tandems or quads. Baskets on the bikes can handle your water bottle or knapsack. 

The most “responsible” person in your party will be tasked with raising their hand if braking to signal riders behind you. That said, once the guided tour begins, riders are encouraged to spread out. “If you can hear conversations between the riders in front of you or behind you, you are too close”, joked our tour guide Jake Cuomo. Revolution Rail strives to share the history of the rail, the land, and the community with their riders. Jake succeeded with his knowledgeable grip on local history delivered with a twinge of subtle humor.

Our journey began between Oyster Bay restaurant and the Welcome Center. It’s a four-mile out-and-back trip alongside The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family Preserve. Riders check in behind the Welcome Center at 609 Lafayette Street. The excursion travels along expansive native wildflower meadows and flora, as well as world-class viewing opportunities for migrating songbirds, raptors, and pollinators. A particularly interesting vantage point is where the tracks cross over Cape Island Creek, (which is the angle from which I’m more accustomed to viewing). From this vantage point, you will have the opportunity to hand your phone over to one of the guides for a souvenir picture. 

Along the way, riders are also treated to monarch caterpillar murals painted by artist Alex Lebron. Alex’s interests lie in working on public and private projects involving biological illustrations and large-scale murals. His passion for community outreach initiatives where art and nature intersect are on full display on three abandoned rail cars near the entrance to the Preserve.

Our half-way-turn-around-don’t-drown mark was Cape May Canal at the terminus of the old swing bridge. Here we left our bikes to stretch our legs while Jake presented an informative history of the canal. At the same time, crew members flipped our bikes around for the return trip. According to Jake, the swing bridge allowed The Seashore Lines trains to cross the canal and operated continuously until 2012 when Hurricane Sandy caused an electrical short which left the bridge stuck in the closed position. Obviously, this was a major issue for the taller masted members of our boating community. In response, New Jersey Transit repositioned the bridge permanently open, and it remains so to this day. 

As a result, the rail line portion south of the canal leading into Cape May was cut off. Eventually this created an opportunity and partnership between The Seashore Lines and Revolution Rail. The Seashore Lines still operates north of the canal. Among other specialty excursions, they are currently celebrating their 30th year of the Santa Express which is an 85-minute round trip running weekends in November and December from their Tuckahoe and Richland stations. 

When it’s time to return, if you started out in front of the pack, you now bring up the rear. If you started in the rear, you now lead the caravan (behind the guides). If you started in the middle, the only positional change is whose back of the head you are staring at. 

With history in our pocket thanks to Jake, it was time to visit The Garrett Family Preserve operated by The Nature Conservancy. It was then that Jesse Amesbury took over the narrative and became our guide. We once again disembarked and followed Jesse into the preserve.

According to Jesse, The Nature Conservancy is a global non-profit organization specializing in buying habitat with the intent of preservation. The current Garrett Family Preserve was originally farmland intended for conversion into luxury homes. However, the developer who bought the land failed inspection due to the lack of exits the planned housing development would have required.

Jesse continued to explain that the developer endeavored to build a second exit behind the preserve. However, the adjacent farmer refused all developer offers for an easement, as he was conservation minded and believed in the importance of helping this property remain in its natural state. In 1999, The Nature Conservancy stepped in with the intention of managing a significant piece of land for migratory winged species. A generous donation from the Garrett family in 2013 enabled expansion of the site as well as improvements. Visitors now enjoy a parking lot, large gazebo, picnic tables, and interpretive signage. The preserve contains over four miles of trails spanning 180 acres. It is a respite for the bird and monarch migration that Cape Island is treated to each spring and fall. 

Under the gazebo we learned more about our most famous migrant, the Monarch butterfly. According to Jesse, Cape May has its own Monarch research project and is the oldest such program in the world. Since the early 1990s, scientists have traveled to Cape May with the goal of tagging and counting our winged friends. Monarch tags are tiny, lightweight, round stickers. They are a little larger than a hole-punch, about 9 mm in diameter. Each tag has a unique ID number. When another observer crosses paths with a tagged Monarch, the ID number is plugged into a database which reveals the details of its journey. 

Nearly the entire population of Monarch butterflies vacate North America and migrate to one mountain range in Mexico where they undergo a mini hibernation in high elevation coniferous forests. They are the longest distance migrating butterfly known. Many of our tagged Cape May Monarchs weighing no more than a paperclip have been found 3,000 miles away in these Mexican mountain ranges.

In one calendar year four or five generations (according to several studies) of Monarchs will be born and take part in a spectacular multi-generational migration. The generation we see in Cape May in the fall makes the trip to Mexico. During the six-to-eight-month stay there, subsequent generations emerge and lay eggs, then make the return trek north. Unlike our fall Monarchs, these new generation butterflies live one month, which is a normal lifespan for all butterfly species. Imagine a relay race of sorts involving those several generations that are required to complete each migratory round-trip journey.

On the way out of the Preserve, strike a pose with the orange larger-than-life butterfly sculpture, Dream Machine Monarch. Designed by artist Rubem Robierb, Dream Machine Monarch is meant to portray the evolution, possibilities, and dreams that nature provides to people. Ironically, this statue was established at the Preserve the very same week monarch butterflies were added to the endangered species list. 

Our journey’s only remaining activity was to hop back on the trail bikes and enjoy a leisurely pedal back to the terminal. As we absorbed the sights, we pondered our next Cape May adventure.