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Trail Regions

You can plan your visit to fit your schedule and area of interest by selecting from the five regions listed below. Each region has a color-coded regional brochure with a large, easy to follow map, descriptions of destinations, directions, hours, and phone numbers. Get regional brochures at welcome centers or by clicking on contact us in the navigation bar at left.

 

Twin Lights Navesink was the first U.S. lighthouse to use Fresnel lenses. Its beacons were visible for 70 miles.

Explore Sandy Hook Region

You can escape the big city bustle in the Sandy Hook region. Relaxing on a quiet beach is one way, but why not try something new?

You can visit the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard—Mount Mitchill at 266 feet above sea level.

At Ocean Grove, the first religious resort established on the Shore, you will get a glimpse of camp meeting life. Families live in tiny structures: canvas tents with a porch and sleeping and living area on a platform; a wooden shed with kitchen and bath in back. Nearby is the 6,000-seat Great Auditorium.

Maps | Destinations

 

Surf fishing at sunrise on the ten-mile beach at Island Beach State Park.

Explore Barnegat Bay Region

Along the Atlantic coast of Barnegat Bay a ribbon of barrier islands absorbs the force of pounding waves and helps protect developed areas from the perils of storms and flood waters. Communities here reflect their seafaring history and love of the ocean. Long Beach Island offers 18 miles of sand and sea. It is worth the trip up the 217 steps of the Barnegat Lighthouse for a bird’s-eye view of Island Beach State Park and the inlet. At Double Trouble State Park you can see the Pinelands, cedar swamps, and an 1800s village with a sawmill and cranberry-packing plant.

Maps | Destinations

 

More than 400 different bird species have been seen during the peak of migration on the Cape May peninsula.

Explore Absecon & Cape May Regions

Each fall the Cape May peninsula acts as a funnel, concentrating millions of migratory birds, including about 60,000 raptors (birds of prey), as they cross Delaware Bay. Spring migration is not as spectacular, but you may see some birds already donning their colorful breeding plumage as they stop to reenergize before flying to summer breeding grounds. Absecon and Cape May regions have more than birdwatching. Here New Jersey offered many firsts to the nation: boardwalks, saltwater taffy, Miss America, and Lucy, a 65-foot tall wooden elephant. Explore all these destinations plus wildlife management areas, lighthouses, and historichomes.

Maps | Destinations

 

Rare patterned brick house built in 1722 by Abel & Mary Nickelson.

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Delsea Region

It is quiet in the Delsea Region. Small towns dot the landscape, and vast fields of vegetables and flowers give credence to New Jersey as the Garden State. This bayshore area is perfect for a picnic or a hike along a stream.

Stop in Salem to see the 400-year-old white oak. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) has owned the tree and Friends Burial ground since 1681. At Fort Mott State Park you can see an 1896 fort; its 750-foot-long parapets protected cannon from enemy ships on the Delaware River.

The Delsea Region features birdwatching areas, wetland and wildlife preserves, parks, marinas, and American Revolution and Civil War sites.

Maps | Destinations