Driving Instructions for Almgren Memorial "Mayday" Race

Updated 2001 

Landing Lane to DeMott bridge (optional access): Turn left out of parking area.
Go uphill on Franklin Blvd. to traffic light; turn right onto Easton Avenue.
Proceed 2 miles on Easton Avenue to DeMott Lane; it is the second set of lights
after JFK Blvd. Turn right (at DeMott light) into the driveway to the historic 
Van Wickle House. Parking Lot is straight ahead, near the footbridge.

DeMott bridge to 5 Mile Lock: Turn right out of driveway onto
Easton Ave.  After 1.5 miles, go under I-287 bridge. Stay in the right
lane, because the turnoff to the 5 Mile Lock is immediately
after the bridge (0.1 mile) on the right.  There is a small parking
area, which is rather sloped.

5 Mile Lock to 10 Mile Lock:
Turn right onto Easton Ave, immediately get into left lane and
take the ramp onto I-287 North. Be wary when crossing the exit ramp
as you do not have the right-of-way. Take the next exit (1.6 miles), 
marked {\it Weston Canal Road}. Turn left onto Weston Canal Road. 
After 1.9 miles, just past the Elizabeth Town Water Company, you 
will be at 10 Mile Lock.  The parking area is on the right, 
and has a sign NJ Water Supply Authority.

Alternate route, go along the canal via South Bound Brook Lock: 

5 Mile Lock to South Bound Brook Lock: Turn right onto Easton Ave.
Stay in the right lane to avoid the U-turn traffic.
Easton Ave goes into South Bound Brook and becomes Main St.
Continue to the lights just before the bridge. At the lights turn left 
(following sign To I-287) onto Weston Canal Road. Do not cross the 
bridge! The parking area for the South Bound Brook Lock is 200yds after 
the lights, on the right hand side.

South Bound Brook Lock to 10 Mile Lock: Turn right out of parking area.
You are now on Weston Canal Rd. After 2.3 miles (1.6 miles after the 
I-287 ramp) you will pass a large arched footbridge. (Do not stop here!)
The parking area for 10 Mile Lock is about 0.3 miles further on,
just past the Elizabeth Town Water Company. The parking area is 
on the right, and has a sign NJ Water Supply Authority.

10 Mile Lock to East Millstone (Route 514): Turn right out of parking lot,
follow Weston Canal Road. You will pass Zarephath after 0.5 mile. 
At 1.2 miles, the road turns right and becomes a causeway crossing the canal 
on Route 623 into Manville. Do not cross the canal here!
Turn left before the causeway bridge, staying on Weston Canal Rd. 
(You are essentially continuing straight, keeping the canal on the right.)
Soon the road turns sharply left taking you away from the canal.
Take the first right (1.0 miles) after this bend onto Mettler Rd. 
After 1.2 miles you come to a T-junction. Turn right here onto Amwell Rd. (Route 514)
You reach East Millstone after 0.5 miles. Go across the bridge on Amwell Rd.
The parking lot is on the right immediately across the bridge,
but you may want to park before the bridge as the parking lot is small.

East Millstone to Blackwells Mills:  Turn left out of the parking area,
going back across the bridge. Immediately turn right. 
After 0.2 miles you come to a T-junction. Turn right down the hill onto Canal Rd. 
(You are now following the canal again.) Pass Grouser Rd. going off to the left. 
Stay by the canal. Pass Miller Farm Rd. on the left.
After 2.2 miles, you come to a four-way stop with a small house to the right.
Turn right at the stop sign, across the bridge. 
The parking area is just across the bridge on the left.

Blackwells Mills to Griggstown Locks:Turn right out of the parking area.
	A Route: Cross the Millstone River on the Weston Causeway bridge.
Turn left onto River Road and follow river.
After 3.5 miles, turn left and cross Griggstown Causeway.
Turn right onto Canal Road and proceed 0.7 miles to Griggstown Locks.
The parking area on the canal side is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign.
	B Route: Turn right at the four-way stop onto Canal Road.
At 1.4 miles the road turns sharply left (and becomes Suydam Rd); 
just after the sharp turn you must make a right to stay on Canal Road. 
For a long while, on this stretch, you lose sight of the canal. 
At 3.7 miles Griggstown Causeway crosses the canal. Go past this staying on Canal Rd. 
At 4.4 miles Griggstown Lock is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign.

Griggstown Locks to Rocky Hill (Route 518): Follow Griggstown Canal Road
At 2.5 miles you come to Rt 518. Turn right onto Rte 518. Cross the bridge.
The parking is immediately on the right and is marked by a
brown D+R Canal State Park sign. 

Rocky Hill (Route 518) to Kingston Locks: Turn left out of parking, 
crossing the canal bridge again. Turn right at the lights onto Rocky Hill Rd. 
Rocky Hill Rd. becomes Laurel Ave which then meets Rte 27 at the lights.
Turn right onto Rte 27. Go through one set of lights and down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill just before the bridge turn left into the
Kingston Lock parking area. (Kingston lock is just beside the Wine Press.)

Kingston Locks to Alexander Road: Turn left onto Route 27.
Proceed into Princeton along Rte 27. Go straight at light for Washington Rd.
Pass Palmer Square and turn left onto University Place. 
Pass the Train Station on your left.
The road turns to the right and comes to a T-junction with lights.
Turn left onto Alexander Rd. Follow this about 1 mile to the bridge over the canal.
The canal bridge is marked by a yellow Narrow Bridge sign.
The parking area is immediately on the right; if you cross the canal you have gone too far.
Park and walk back to greet the arriving runners.

If you need to go to the Causeway, you must follow a more complicated route:
From Kingeton Locks, turn right onto Route 27 and go into Kingston.
Turn right on Mapleton Road; after about one mile, stay on Mapleton
as it goes right (avoid the main road, which turns into Seminary Drive).
You are following the canal again; continue for about one mile to a small
parking lot near a footbridge and park. Walk over the canal to the towpath.
This is the relay point.  To go from here to the end of the race,
continue 1/2 mile on Mapleton until Route 1, then turn right and go to either
Washington Road (0.7 miles, before Lake Carnegie) or to
Alexander Road (1 mile, between the narrow bridges), 
depending on where the end of the race is.

Driving Instructions from Princeton to Rutgers

Washington Road (Princeton) to Kingston Locks:
Cross bridge and proceed up along Washington into Princeton. Turn right
onto Nassau St. (Route 27) and follow it until it intersects the canal, 
just after crossing the bridge into Kingston. Immediately after bridge, 
turn right into Kingston Lock area, just to the right of the 
Wine Press Restaurant.

Kingston Locks to Rocky Hill/Griggstown: Turn right onto 
Route 27 North, go up the hill into Kingston. Turn left at the second
traffic light onto Laurel Avenue (Route 603).  Laurel Ave. 
becomes Rocky Hill Road. After 2.5 miles, you come to a traffic light 
marked Griggstown Canal Road/Route 518. 

To stop here at the Rocky Hill access: Turn left and cross 
the canal here (on Rt 518); the parking is immediately on the right 
and is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. To proceed onto
Griggstown, cross back over the canal bridge to the traffic light. 

To Griggstown: Turn North onto Griggstown Canal Road, which
is flat and follows the canal. (It is the extension of Route 603; do not 
stay on 518!) You can see the runners across the canal along this stretch. 
After 2.5 miles, you come to Griggstown lock, which is marked by a brown 
D+R Canal State Park sign.

Griggstown Locks to Blackwells Mills: Turn left onto Canal Road.
After 0.7 miles, you have a choice:
     A Route: Turn left, crossing the canal at Griggstown Causeway, 
and then turn right onto River road, which parallels the Millstone river;
after 3.5 miles, turn right and cross the Millstone River on the
Weston Causeway bridge.
     B Route: Continue straight for another 2.3 miles (losing
sight of the canal for a long stretch) and turn left at the end (at a
'T' intersection) onto Suydam Road; at the canal, Suydam turns and
becomes Canal Road again; continue for 1.4 miles to the 4-way stop sign,
turn left and cross the canal bridge to park. (The key idea of this route
is to turn closer to the canal whenever possible.)

Blackwells Mills to East Millstone: Cross the canal bridge and
turn left at the 4-way Stop sign onto Canal Road, which follows the canal.
Pass Miller Farm Road and then Grouser Road, both going off to the right.
When you reach East Millstone, after about 2.0 miles, you leave the canal 
and go up a little hill. Turn left at the top up the hill, and then left
 again (after 0.2 miles) onto Amwell Road (Rt 514), which has heavy traffic.
Cross the canal bridge on Amwell; the parking area is on the right
immediately across the bridge. 

East Millstone (Route 514) to 10 Mile Lock: Turn left out of the parking area,
going back across the bridge on Amwell Road (Route 514). After 0.5 miles,
turn left onto Mettler Road.  This road will turn sharply to the left 
after a while, becoming Weston Canal Road and returning to the canal.
DO NOT CROSS the canal 0.4 miles later at the truss bridge (to Manville)!!
Keep the canal on your left. After 0.7 miles, you will pass Zarepath. 
Half a mile further on, you will see 10 Mile Lock. The
parking area is on the left. It has a sign NJ Water Supply Authority.

10 Mile Lock to 5 Mile Lock:  From the parking area at 10 Mile Lock,
turn left on Weston Canal Road. 
     Quick Route: Drive 1.6 miles to the junction with I-287 and take
I-287 South to the next exit (Easton Ave). On the exit ramp, bear left. 
(Most of the other traffic will bear right.) After a stop sign, you
will join traffic that comes from Easton Avenue (on your right); once 
you are in this traffic stream, go quickly off to the right. After only 
.1 mile (almost immediately after going under 287); there is a tiny and 
rather sloped parking lot.
     Route via South Bound Brook Lock: Continue for 2.6 miles
into South Bound Brook. The parking lot for the SBB locks is on the left,
in town 200 yards before the lights at the Main Street bridge. (This is
sometimes used as an exchange point.) 
To continue to 5 Mile Lock, 
bear right at the bridge onto Main Street (Route 527),
which turns into Easton Avenue. As you pass the entrance to I-287,
bear left; most of the traffic will continue right on Easton. Follow
the road around, through a stops sign, to make a U-turn onto Easton
Avenue going back towards Bound Brook and under I-287. Immediately
(100 meters) after going under I-287, turn right into a tiny and rather
sloped parking lot. This is 5 Mile Lock. To get to the spillway, get
out of the car and walk along the canal about 200 meters.

5 Mile Lock to Landing Lane: From the parking lot, turn right
(the only direction allowed). Stay in the left lane and proceed
through the stop sign to get into the U-turn stream; this brings you
to the point where you were earlier (the intersection with I-287). 
Now bear right; this brings you to Easton Avenue going towards New Brunswick.
Continue 3.5 miles on Easton and get in the left lane when it goes up a hill.
Just over the top, turn left at the traffic light marked Franklin Boulevard
Franklin Blvd goes downhill to a traffic light at Landing Lane Bridge.
The ending point of the race is just past this light, over the (nonfunctional)
historic swing bridge on the left, but there is no real parking there.
You can either park on the lot on the right before the traffic light
(and cross the swing bridge on foot at your own peril) or continue
straight across Landing Lane bridge over the Raritan river, on
the left, and walk back to greet the arriving runners.