About
We build and preserve Jersey trails.
About What We Do
The Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA), founded in 1999, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which is dedicated to serving off road cyclists as a member of equal standing within the trail user community. Our focus is to build and maintain sustainable multi-use trails, organize and encourage volunteerism and responsibility, and advocate and foster mountain biking as a healthy, environmentally sound, and sustainable activity.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, JORBA looks out for you. We are dedicated to creating opportunities for people of all skill levels to connect, ride, and grow. Join us as a member, volunteer or on our board as we advocate for safe, sustainable trail access, organize exciting events, and work together to create a positive impact on the sport and the environment.
Let’s ride the trails, share the stoke, and keep the spirit of mountain biking alive!
Our Mission
Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which is dedicated to serving off road cyclists as a member of equal standing within the trail user community. Founded in 1999, our focus is to build and maintain sustainable multi-use trails, organize and encourage volunteerism and responsibility, and advocate and foster mountain biking as a healthy, environmentally sound, and sustainable activity.
Our mission, specifically, is:
- Protect and promote the rights and responsibilities of cyclists as equal members of the trail user community.
- Organize volunteer work groups for conservation, development and maintenance of trails.
- Educate bicyclists in the safe and responsible use of off road bicycling.
- Promote the appreciation of and care for public lands.
- Educate concerning appropriate off road bicycle access to public lands.
- Assist in the formation and affiliation of new and existing local bicycle groups.
- Link all affiliated local and regional groups with similar purposes.
- Perform research relating to mountain biking.
- Act as a liaison between and among public land users and land managers.
- Be a partner for open space conservancy and for recreational trails management.
- Be a resource for parks and recreational land management.
Trail Building and Trail Maintenance
New Jersey off-road cyclists share the common desire for legal trails throughout the state and JORBA has a passion for building legal, sustainable single-track. We work closely with land managers to build trails according to the practices taught to us by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). Additionally, our members work with their local JORBA chapters to maintain trails and keep them open, clear of debris and fun!
We promote sustainable, low impact trail use and work as partners with national, state and local land managers.
Trail Access
JORBA’s mission is to work with land managers, park officials and other trail user groups to gain and maintain access to trails. JORBA representatives work on the local, state and federal level as trail advocates.
Riding
JORBA has members all over New Jersey. We organize group rides and skills clinics for all ability levels and ages. Our chapter leaders and volunteers love to showcase the trails they maintain and are always willing to give a tour of their home trails or just go for a ride.
Why are we here?
Did you know that the trails JORBA stewards are either rarely (or never) maintained by park employees? It’s a common misconception, but even many of us once believed that trails in NJ were built and maintained by paid staff. They’re usually not. In these tough economic times most state and local budgets are tighter than ever, and its the dedication of volunteers that keeps trails maintained. And this brings us to JORBA’s ‘raison d’être’, or the reason JORBA is here: to foster volunteerism and a dedication to better trails.
We’re all cyclists and love to ride on great trails, but that meant usually leaving the state for great trails or riding in a small handful of parks that had existing legacy fire roads and small stretches of good trails. Because we wanted more trails closer to home, JORBA decided to make a difference. In 1998 we started with just a few parks and have been growing ever since. Many of our current Park Representatives started out by working at, and learning from, trail maintenance sessions at other parks. They then moved on to adopt their own park and grow their local riders into a reliable volunteer pool. And the success shows: think about how much better the trails are today compared to just 5 years ago, and you can see the positive impact that JORBA’s band of merry volunteers has had. Thanks to the support and word of mouth of people like you, JORBA has been able expand to more parks and attract more volunteers!
How did we get here?
JORBA volunteers took the initiative to talk with Land Managers and develop a relationship with them. This might sound simple, but its quite the opposite. Usually the question, “may we build trails in your park?” is met with silence, or not the response we’d like. That’s because a good relationships with a Land Manager may take years to grow, and trust needs to be earned slowly and patiently. Many people find that they have an attention span that is far less than the pace at which a Land Manager tends to approve new projects. New projects need to be discussed in detail, proposed routes flagged and inspected, and GPS way points submitted to NJDEP offices in Trenton. This takes time and patience, and approval from the park needs to be received long before the first trail building tool hits the dirt.
With this in mind, what started out as small dis-jointed, individual volunteer groups (mostly cycling clubs) has grown into a statewide organization. By pooling our talents JORBA has become NJ’s unified voice of off-road bicycling, trail work and advocacy.
Non-Profit Status
JORBA is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization (tax ID: 22-3667526). Donations to JORBA are tax-deductible where allowable by law. If you need our tax-exempt certificates, please email info@jorba.org