$4.50
Borough(s): Staten Island, Distance: 2 miles, Elevation: 79′, Terrain: Flat. Two rises, but wind is more of an issue than gravity. Traffic is pretty light, Ride Rating: @
Description
Teaser (Staten Island Lemon Creek Ride)
This is a neighborhood ride. The neighborhood is Prince’s Bay, sometimes Princess Bay. In the late 19th century, this was a fishing village and the oysters pulled out by local oystermen, “Prince’s Bay Oysters” had international renown. As all of the ride is south of Hylan, and bounded on one side by Wolfe’s Pond Park and on the other by Lemon Creek, there is very little car traffic, and no through traffic.
More Detail (Staten Island Lemon Creek Ride)
As neighborhood rides go, this is a very easy one. It’s the ideal ride for anyone who wants to get a feel for riding on open streets in a low-pressure environment thanks to the minimal traffic. Good for kids, too.
Starting out, you have Wolfe’s Pond Park on your left and the eponymous pond. If you took the mountain bike ride, you would be on the other side. For some reason, it seems more believable that the pond is freshwater when viewed from this side.
At the end of Holten, you have the southern section of Lemon Creek Park in front of you. We guide you onto a path that runs parallel to Purdy Place, but we expect that in time you’ll be able to ride into the park and along the water around to Prince’s Bay. Keep your eye out as this detour could be pretty excellent.
Either way, the ride takes you out to the edge of the peninsula and the mouth of the bay. If you stop for a moment and scan the distant shore, you should see the John Cardinal O’Connor Lighthouse. Formerly the Prince’s Bay lighthouse, the beacon looks out over the bay.
At this point, you’re more than halfway done. Before saddling up, look north. You’ll see the Princess Bay Boatmen’s Association and the Lemon Creek Boatmen’s Association marinas. They line Lemon Creek, and they wind around saltwater marshes, which provide an unmatched filtration system as well as protection from erosion. They were under threat at one time, but people came to their senses and let them be. To give you a sense of how far in they go, the marshes reach the SIR tracks.
Conclusion (Staten Island Lemon Creek Ride)
There are now basically two more roads on the ride. Easy breezy, fairly straight lines with little traffic. Our preference would be to first, go for another loop, then roll through the rest of the streets, as there aren’t many, and maybe moving on to another ride before calling it a day.
Specs
Borough(s): Staten Island
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation: 79′
Terrain: Flat. Two rises, but wind is more of an issue than gravity. Traffic is pretty light.
Ride Rating: @
Notes: Staten Island is pretty sleepy and undeveloped over this way.
Includes: A PDF to print out or put on your phone. A GPX file to go on your phone or a GPS-enabled bike computer.
If you need a tutorial, here’s where you find that info. https://jralong.com/wheretobikenyc/2020/06/18/download-a-ride/
LInks to: SI07 (if you have a mtb), SI09, SI10
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