The Lawrence Hopewell Trail will host its 9th Full Moon Bike Ride on Saturday, September 14 in Mercer Meadows. This is an “out of this world” experience, perfect for date night or an evening out with friends.
Light up your bike and compete for a prize. Kick off the 6-mile ride with a lively DJ. Bike through Asteroid Alley. Stop for glow-in-the-dark juggling with the Trenton Circus Squad and for live music. Reward yourself with s’mores around the campfire at the end.
It’s so much fun that you may want to do the route twice!
Meet at Rosedale Lake off Federal City Road between Blackwell Road and Old Mill Road in Pennington. Registration check-in begins at 7pm. The ride kicks off with a special send-off at 7:30pm but participants can start later as well. All riders must be off the course by 9:30pm.
Although the moon will be nearly full and offering some light, front and rear bike lights are still a must! Helmets are required by New Jersey law for those under 18, and the Lawrence Hopewell Trail encourages all others to wear one as well.
This ride, co-sponsored by the Mercer County Park Commission, is open to those 12 and older. More details and registration information is on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail website, https://lhtrail.org/ and at https://lhtrail.org/annual-fullmoonride/
“We are very proud that the Full Moon Ride has attracted cyclists from near and far, new riders and repeat riders to what has become our signature event,” said LHT Board Chair David Sandahl. “It’s hard to top a fun ride in a beautiful park under the light of the moon.”
“I’m proud that Mercer County can continue to support this great event,” said County Executive Dan Benson. “After years of planning and work, it’s incredible to see the Lawrence Hopewell Trail nearing completion. I believe that the trail’s success can serve as a blueprint as we work to expand and connect our trail systems throughout Mercer.”
To see some fun from a prior year, see MercerMe’s coverage: Hundreds Cycle at the 2019 Full Moon Ride
The event is a fundraiser for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corp., which helps develop and maintain the trail. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Full Moon Ride? Contact the Lawrence Hopewell Trail at [email protected].
This year’s Full Moon Ride comes as the Lawrence Hopewell Trail moves closer to completion. Five short segments of the 20-mile trail remain to be built. Pre-construction work has already begun on one: a stunning boardwalk in Lawrence Township’s Maidenhead Meadows park that will eliminate the interim route on Princeton Pike. All other segments are in some stage of development.
The goal is to finish the trail by the end of 2026.
The Lawrence Hopewell Trail board continues to seek other connections to the trail and is supporting Mercer County’s feasibility study for the Johnson Trolley Trail Corridor that would connect to both Princeton and Trenton. The centerpiece is envisioned to be a biking and walking bridge over I-295 roughly where the old Johnson Trolley Line ran for decades. You can get more information on this project here: https://www.mercercounty.org/departments/planning/johnson-trolley-trail.
