It is October which means two things. It is time to celebrate Pinelands Month and therefore, time for the free, annual Tour de Pines bicycle trip. From October 1 – 5, cyclists of all skills and levels will don their helmets and take off for a cruise through the Pinelands.

Figure on pedaling about 40-50 miles a day at about 11-13 miles per hour. It is pretty flat out there so the biking is relatively easy -- it isn’t like you’ll have to be chugging up and down mountains. To make sure you get the most out of your trip, each day you’ll make stops at various historic sites and natural attractions within the Pinelands National Reserve.

And here’s the best part. You can do as much or as little of the journey as you want. Each day’s route is a loop so if you’ve had it after one or two days, you can just load your bike in the car and head on home.

Tour de Pines sets out on October 1 from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance Bishop’s Farmstead and ends on October 5 during the Pinelands Discovery Festival at Whitesbog Village. Here is the daily schedule so you know what you are getting in to:
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Cranberry Cruiser Loop (Medford, Kirby’s Mill, Brendan Byrne State Forest)
Thursday, Oct. 2: Pinelands Villages Loop (Dorothy, Milmay, Mizpah, Estell City, Peaslee WMA)
Friday, Oct. 3: Forked River Mountains Loop (Greenwood Forest WMA; Cedar Creek,
Forked River and Oyster Creek watersheds)
Saturday, Oct. 4: Bass River Loop (Bass River State Forest, Pygmy Pine Plains, Historic Chatsworth)
Sunday, Oct. 5: Northern Pinelands Loop (Historic Whitesbog Village, Brendan Byrne State Forest)

Sounds like fun, huh! If you want to participate, you must register before September 26 at (609) 859-8860 x24 or e-mail tour@pinelandsalliance.org for an application.