List of New Jersey state parks
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The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry manages a public park system which consists of over 50 protected areas designated as state parks, state forests, recreation areas, and other properties within the state of New Jersey in the United States. The agency also owns and manages 38 historical sites and buildings throughout the state (some located within the boundaries of state parkland) and also owns five public marinas and four public golf courses. These properties are administered by the Division's State Park Service, founded in 1923. New Jersey's state park system includes properties as small as the Template:Convert Barnegat Lighthouse State Park and as large as the Template:Convert Wharton State Forest. The state park system comprises Template:Convert—roughly 7.7% of New Jersey's land area—and serves over 17.8 million annual visitors.
History of the New Jersey state park systemEdit
Forests and the Forest Park Reservation CommissionEdit
At the beginning of the twentieth century, New Jersey did not have much of a lumber or forestry industry. The value of its trees was insignificant and undermined by destruction by uncontrolled forest fires, and after decades of clear-cutting forests to fuel iron forges, furnaces, and other industrial operations.<ref>Gifford Pinchot, "A Study of Forest Fires and Wood Production in Southern New Jersey" in New Jersey Geological Survey, The Annual Report of the State Geologist for 1898 (Trenton: MacCrellish & Quigley, 1897). Appendix.</ref><ref>"Damage By Forest Fires, New Jersey Legislature to be Asked for Protection", The New York Times, January 5, 1896, page 16; "Forest Fires In New Jersey. The annual Loss Over $1,000,000—Need of Legislation to Save Timber Lands", The New York Times, April 16, 1893, page 10; "Caring for Jersey Forests. State Spending Money to Stop Fires and Promote an Industry", The New York Times, May 15, 1910, page 20.</ref> In 1896, the state geologist recommended the acquisition of land for parks in order to protect water supplies and to provide natural recreation to the state's increasing urban populations.<ref name="SmockParksReport">John Conover Smock, "Natural Parks and Forest Reservations: Administrative Report", in New Jersey Geological Survey, The Annual Report of the State Geologist for the Year 1896 (Trenton: MacCrellish & Quigley, 1897), xxii-xxiii.</ref> After several years of reports and advocacy of geologists and naturalists (including, notably, U.S. forester Gifford Pinchot), New Jersey governor Edward C. Stokes established the Forest Park Reservation Commission in 1905 to protect forest land and create a system of park reserves within the state.<ref name="SmockParksReport" /><ref>P.L. 1905, ch. 47</ref><ref name="ForestParkResComm1906">P.L. 1906, ch. 123 printed in Forest Park Reservation Commission, State of New Jersey, Reports of the Forest Park Reservation Commission of New Jersey: Second Annual Report for the Year Ending October 31st 1906 (Trenton: MacCrellish & Quigley, 1907).</ref> At the commission's meeting on September 12, 1905, the commissioners adopted the Salem Oak (of Salem, New Jersey) as a symbol of New Jersey's parks.<ref>Minutes of the Board of Forest Park Reservation Commissioners, New Jersey State Archives, Meeting of September 12, 1905.</ref> The commissioners acquired two tracts in southern New Jersey, near Mays Landing and along the Bass River, as the first state forest reserves.<ref>"Saving Jersey’s Forests. State Buys Two Tracts of Land for Timber Experiments", The New York Times, October 6, 1905, page 9.</ref> The Mays Landing tract was sold in 1916 after opposition from local officials and landowners made acquisition and expansion on adjacent lands impossible. The Bass River tract became the core of Bass River State Forest.<ref>Kevin Wright, A Century of Forest Stewardship in New Jersey 1905-2005 (2005). Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> In 1907, the commissioners would also acquire Template:Convert on Kittatinny Mountain near Culver's Gap, supplemented by a gift from Governor Stokes, which would become the core of Stokes State Forest.<ref>Sussex County Deed Book H-10, p. 467; 18 May 1907, Lands in Townships of Sandyston and Frankford, parts of Lots 3, 4, 39, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, and 53 of the Sussex Allotments from Noah H. Hopkins and Susan Hopkins, his wife, of Branchville, New Jersey, to the State of New Jersey for $5,000.</ref> The reservations, which by 1912 comprised Template:Convert became sites for studying forests, reforestation projects, and scientific forestry.<ref>Annual Report For the Year Ending June 30, 1920, Department of Conservation and Development, (Trenton: 1920).</ref> With the acquisition of a tract that included Swartswood Lake in Stillwater Township, the commission began developing parks for the purposes of recreation by providing boating, fishing, camping, and picnicking. In the Commission's 1915 Annual Report, they stated "It is intended to make Swartswood a public playground. Boat liveries and picnic shelters to be maintained under proper control will make it available to a large number of people".<ref>Reports of the Forest Park Reservation Commission of New Jersey: Tenth Annual Report for the Year Ending October 31st 1914 (Paterson: The News Printing Company, 1915).</ref> The Forest Park Reservation Commission was consolidated with other agencies into the Department and Board of Conservation and Development on April 8, 1915.<ref>State of New Jersey, P.L. 1915, ch. 241.</ref>
State Park ServiceEdit
In 1923, the legislature authorized the creation of the State Park Service to administer the state parks and forests. New Jersey began to redirect its efforts from the development of these and other properties for recreational purposes instead of protecting or promoting the commercial potential of forested land. The state legislature established a commission to create a historic park along the Delaware River above Trenton, at the location where George Washington and Continental Army crossed the river on December 25, 1776 before the surprise attack on Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777). The initial plans were defeated by a public referendum, but there was increased desire to complete these plans to establish a Washington Crossing Memorial Park in time for the 150th anniversary of American independence in 1926. The park was officially dedicated and opened to the public on June 4, 1927. In the wake of World War I, state forester Alfred Gaskill proposed a new public park along Kittatinny Mountain, "as the State’s memorial to its sons who had made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War". A few years later, Colonel Anthony R. Kuser donated his mountaintop estate at High Point (the state's highest elevation) to the state for a public park with an additional gift of $500,000 to erect a granite-clad obelisk to honor veterans. Construction of the monument began in 1928 and was completed in 1930.
According to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry administers and manages Template:Convert in its state parks, forests, and other areas. These areas, during the state's 2006 fiscal year (from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006) recorded 17,843,541 visitors.<ref>Elliott Ruga, "Table 9: Acreage by Land Use of Lands Under the Jurisdiction of NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry" and "Table 10: State Park and Forest Attendance, July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2006", The Accomplishments of State Preservation Programs: A Compilation of Reports, Plans and other Studies Detailing Land Preservation, Farmland Preservation and Historic Preservation Accomplishments with State Funding in New Jersey (New Jersey Conservation Foundation, 2009), 20–21.</ref>
Planning future parksEdit
In 2006, the Division of Parks and Forestry began planning and preliminary work two new state parks: Great Falls State Park in Paterson, and Capital State Park in Trenton.<ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Great Falls State Park. Retrieved October 19, 2015.</ref><ref name="CapitalSPmain">New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Capital State Park. Retrieved October 15, 2015.</ref> The state's only other urban park is Liberty State Park in Jersey City.<ref name="CapitalSPmain" /> According to the master plan prepared by Philadelphia-based planning and urban design firm Wallace Roberts & Todd, Capital State Park would incorporate areas around the state's capitol complex in Trenton and the city's Delaware River and Assunpink Creek waterfronts to provide "a long-term strategy to revitalize Trenton by reestablishing connections to the downtown and reclaiming its riverfront."<ref name="CapitalSPmasterplanVision">Wallace Roberts & Todd, Projects: New Jersey Capital Park Master Plan. Retrieved October 15, 2015.</ref><ref>Wallace Robert & Todd, Chapter 1: Vision: Recasting Trenton, New Jersey Capital Park Master Plan (May 2013 version). Retrieved October 15, 2015.</ref> Great Falls subsequently became Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.
In 2009, the state also purchased Template:Convert in Jefferson Township the former site of the Mount Paul monastery and seminary belonging to Paulist Fathers (from 1924–2009). The tract, which will be developed into a state park, is located in the state's Highlands region on the eastern side of Sparta Mountain and featuring mountain streams that flow into the Russia Brook (a tributary of the Rockaway River).<ref>Rosa Kasper, "Sale means Mt. Paul will become state park", AIM Jefferson / northjersey.com, October 9, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2015.</ref>
In 2021, Governor Phil Murphy approved the state purchase of part of an abandoned right-of way from Norfolk Southern Railway for the purpose of converting it into a new state park tentatively named the Essex - Hudson Greenway . The park will run from Montclair to Jersey City. Largely facilitated by the Open Space Institute, the park will also be a crucial section of the East Coast Greenway as well as part the 9/11 Memorial Trail, which will connect Shanksville, The Pentagon, and One World Trade Center. It will connect to the proposed Hackensack River Greenway and possibly the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The park may also incorporate a "transitway, a project proposed in NJ Transit's "Innovation Challenge", which aims to add a new, creative transportation solutions to The Meadowlands<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Recreation and facilitiesEdit
The State Park Service asks its visitors to embrace the "Carry In, Carry Out" philosophy in order to "keep the parks clean and beautiful by carrying out the trash you carry in".<ref name="NJstateparkservice">New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, State Park Service. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref>
Fishing and hunting are permitted in several of the state parks and forest.<ref name="NJstateparkservice" />
Golf coursesEdit
The State Park System also includes four golf courses that are open to the public. Each of the four courses include associated restaurant and banquet facilities and is operated under contract between a private management company and the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.<ref>New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry, Golf Courses. Retrieved October 1, 2015.</ref> Centerton Golf Course, located in Pittsgrove Township in Salem County is located within Parvin State Park.<ref name="CreamRidge">Centerton Golf Course, "About Us". Retrieved October 1, 2015.</ref> Cream Ridge Golf Course is located in Cream Ridge in Monmouth County and was acquired by the state in 2006.<ref>Cream Ridge Golf Course, "About Us". Retrieved October 1, 2015.</ref> Spring Meadow Golf Course in Farmingdale in Monmouth County was privately developed and operated beginning in the 1920s and acquired by the state five decades later.<ref name="SpringMeadow">Spring Meadow Golf Course, "About Us". Retrieved October 1, 2015.</ref>
- White Oaks Golf Course - Gloucester County 2951 Dutch Mill Road Newfield, NJ 08344
Several of these properties were acquired as part of open space preservation initiatives managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionTemplate:'s Green Acres Program.<ref name="CreamRidge" /><ref name="SpringMeadow" />
State ParksEdit
| Park Name | Image | Location | Year Established | Size | Remarks | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allaire State Park | File:PineCreekRailroadwithLicence.jpg | Howell and Wall townships in Monmouth County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4730378}} | Template:Convert | Features restored nineteenth-century ironworks, Allaire Village; ecosystem and geography of New Jersey's coastal plains region and Manasquan River floodplain—habitat for over 200 species of wildflowers, trees and plants, and birds; includes high-iron and acidic podzolic soils and bog iron deposits. Hosts the Pine Creek Railroad, an excursion rail line operated by the New Jersey Museum of Transportation. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Allaire State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref><ref>New Jersey Museum of Transportation (official website). Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Allamuchy Mountain State Park | File:Allamuchy Township, NJ - view of Allamuchy Mountain and Allamuchy Pond.jpg | Green and Byram townships in Sussex County; Allamuchy Township in Warren County Mount Olive Township in Morris County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4730439}} | Template:Convert | Located along Allamuchy Mountain and Musconetcong River, features Template:Convert Allamuchy Natural Area of mature mixed oak-hardwood forests, natural fields; Template:Convert of marked and Template:Convert of unmarked trails including Sussex Branch Trail and Highlands Trail. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Allamuchy Mountain State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Barnegat Lighthouse State Park | File:NJ LBI Lighthouse 08a (June 2004).JPG | At the northern tip of Long Beach Island in Ocean County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4861485}} | Template:Convert | The site of Barnegat Lighthouse (1859); offers marine birdwatching and saltwater fishing, located along on New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Cape May Point State Park | File:Cape May Light NJ.jpg | Lower Township in Cape May County Template:WikidataCoord |
1972 | Template:Convert | The site of Cape May Lighthouse (1859); premier location in North America for observing fall bird migration to the south. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Cape May Point State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | |
| Capital State Park | File:2009-08-17 View of downtown Trenton in New Jersey and the mouth of the Assunpink Creek from across the Delaware River in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.jpg | Trenton in Mercer County | 2006 | - | Park currently being developed, includes buildings and areas of Trenton's capitol complex, waterfront areas along Delaware River and Assunpink Creek; celebrate Trenton's Native American, Colonial, Revolutionary War, ethnic, and industrial heritage | <ref name="CapitalSPmasterplanVision" /> | |
| Cheesequake State Park | File:Cheesequake sp marsh.JPG | Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5089431}} | Template:Convert | Transitional zone between two different ecosystems featuring open fields, saltwater and freshwater marshes, Pine Barrens white cedar swamp, and northeastern hardwood forest. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Cheesequake State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Corson's Inlet State Park | File:Corson’s Inlet State Park.jpg | Corson's Inlet between Ocean City and Strathmere in Cape May County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5173189}} | Template:Convert | One of the last undeveloped tracts along the state's oceanfront; features primary and secondary sand dune systems, shoreline overwash, marine estuaries; migratory and residential wildlife species; hiking, fishing, crabbing, boating and sunbathing. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Corson's Inlet State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park | File:D&R Canal.jpg | Over Template:Convert through Central New Jersey in Middlesex, Somerset, Mercer, and Hunterdon counties. Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5253440}} | Template:Convert | Delaware and Raritan Canal mileage including the Template:Convert main canal between New Brunswick and Trenton and Template:Convert feeder canal between Trenton and Frenchtown; many historic structures including buildings, locks, spillways, and towpath; described as "the longest (and narrowest) recreation area in the state. A greenway that snakes through one of the most heavily populated regions in the world." | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref><ref>Anthony Venutolo, "You can soak up the history or just take in the scenery at New Jersey's gem of a park", The Star-Ledger, September 3, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Double Trouble State Park | File:Double Trouble cranberry bog.jpg | Lacey and Berkeley townships in Ocean County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5299927}} | Template:Convert | Provides "a window into the Pine Barrens history" and region's ecosystem; preserved historic village associated with New Jersey cranberry agriculture and Atlantic White Cedar logging and milling industries. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Double Trouble State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Farny State Park | File:Swamp in Farny State Park - panoramio.jpg | Rockaway Township in Morris County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q21055467}} | Template:Convert | Adjacent to Splitrock Reservoir; features mature mixed oak hardwood forest, swamps, and streams characteristic of the Highlands physiographic province; provides habitat for the endangered red-shouldered hawk and threatened barred owl. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Farny State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Fort Mott State Park | File:Fort Mott State Park, NJ - gun fire control tower.jpg | Pennsville Township in Salem County Template:WikidataCoord |
1951 | Template:Convert | Coastal defense battery built 1872–1902 to protect the Delaware River and Philadelphia after the American Civil War. Troops were stationed at site from 1897 to 1922. | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Fort Mott State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref><ref>Mark A. Berhow (editor), American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Second Edition (CDSG Press, 2004), 198, 230. Template:ISBN; Emanuel Raymond Lewis, "Fort Mott", Seacoast Fortifications of the United States (Annapolis: Leeward Publications, 1979). Template:ISBN.</ref> |
| Hacklebarney State Park | File:Hacklebarney State Park, NJ - Black River waterfalls.jpg | Located between Long Valley and Chester in Morris County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5637314}} | Template:Convert | The glacial valley and gorge of the Black River; features the rock strewn landscape of the glacial moraine from the Wisconsinan glaciation; features three endangered species: American ginseng, leatherwood and Virginia pennywort | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Hacklebarney State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| High Point State Park | File:High Point Monument and Lake Marcia framed.jpg | Montague Township, Sussex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q24257055}} | Template:Convert | Donated by Colonel Anthony R. Kuser and wife Susie Dryden Kuser; landscaping designed by the Olmsted Brothers of Boston, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York City's Central Park. Features the highest elevation in New Jersey, High Point, a Template:Convert prominence of Kittatinny Mountain marked by a Template:Convert granite obelisk erected as veterans memorial. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: High Point State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Hopatcong State Park | File:Lake Hopatcong State Park NJ woman on grass.jpg | Landing, Roxbury Township in Morris County; Hopatcong Borough in Sussex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q5898995}} | Template:Convert | Two separate parcels of land, one on the southwestern shore of state's largest freshwater lake, Lake Hopatcong, another on Lake Musconetcong; the park features remnants of the Morris Canal and Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Hopatcong State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Island Beach State Park | File:2013-08-21 12 34 24 Wetlands along Barnegat Bay near the southern end of Island Beach State Park, New Jersey.jpg | Former borough of Island Beach and Berkeley Township in Ocean County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q6083013}} | Template:Convert | Island Beach is a narrow Template:Convert barrier island between Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay featuring untouched primary dunes, thicket, freshwater wetlands, maritime forest and tidal marshes; also New Jersey's largest osprey colony, peregrine falcons, wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and migrating songbirds. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Island BEach State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Kittatinny Valley State Park | File:Lake Aeroflex, Kittatinny Valley State Park, NJ.jpg | Andover Township and Andover Borough in Sussex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q6096864}} | Template:Convert | Features glacial lakes and limestone outcroppings at the headwaters of the Pequest River; part of the Sussex Branch Trail passes through park; site of the Aeroflex–Andover Airport, a New Jersey Forest Fire Service airbase for aerial wildfire suppression. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Kittatinny Valley State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Liberty State Park | File:Lsp flag display.jpg | Jersey City in Hudson County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q3363986}} | Template:Convert | Created to commemorate country's bicentennial celebration, features Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (CRRNJ); sweeping view of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline; Liberty Science Center; "Empty Sky" Memorial for the September 11 terrorist attacks; ferry service to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Liberty State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Long Pond Ironworks State Park | File:LPIWFurnace.jpg | Hewitt, West Milford Township in Passaic County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q6673115}} | Template:Convert | Features Monksville Reservoir and ruins of Long Pond Ironworks, an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ironworking community (1766–1882) along the Wanaque River. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Long Pond Ironworks State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Monmouth Battlefield State Park | File:Cornfield Monmouth.JPG | Manalapan and Freehold, in Monmouth County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q14705753}} | Template:Convert | Site of the June 28, 1778 Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution. George Washington and Continental Army attacked the rear of a British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton; features interpretative center, annual reenactment battle held in June, the Craig House (1746), the Rhea-Applegate house (1745), and a pick-your-own fruit orchard. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Parvin State Park | File:October sunset over the lake 2014-01-16 01-43.jpg | Pittsgrove Township in Salem County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7141330}} | Template:Convert | Features Pine Barrens swamp hardwood and pine forest ecosystem along Muddy Run (Maurice River tributary). Features over 200 flowering plant species including blossoming dogwood, laurel, holly, magnolia, wild azalea. Historically, the home of a CCC camp (1933–1941), summer displacement camp for Japanese-American children during World War II; prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers, and housing for Kalmyk refugees who escaped Eastern Europe and the USSR in 1952. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Parvin State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Pigeon Swamp State Park | File:PigeonSwamp1.JPG | South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7193329}} | Template:Convert | Located in the watershed of Lawrence Brook, an undeveloped park featuring open ponds and hardwood forests that were a major nesting site for the now-extinct passenger pigeon. | - | |
| Princeton Battlefield State Park | File:Princeton Battlefield State Park (Princeton, NJ).JPG | Princeton Borough in Mercer County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7244938}} | Template:Convert | Site of the Battle of Princeton fought between British and American on January 3, 1777 — a victory that proved decisive in restoring American morale during American Revolution. Includes the Clarke House where General Hugh Mercer died from his wounds nine days later despite the efforts of Dr. Benjamin Rush. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Princeton Battlefield State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Rancocas State Park | File:Rancocas State Park.jpg | Westampton Township in Burlington County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q22060903}} | Template:Convert | Located along the North Branch of the Rancocas Creek and an extensive freshwater tidal marsh. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Rancocas State Park. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> | |
| Ringwood State Park | File:SheperdLake.jpg | Ringwood in Passaic County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7335027}} | Template:Convert | Located on Ramapo Mountain, features historic Ringwood Manor, New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands Manor, and Shepherd Lake Recreation Area. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Ringwood State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Stephens State Park | File:Musconetcong River at Stephens State Park.jpg | near Hackettstown in Warren County; Mount Olive Township in Morris County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7610966}} | Template:Convert | Located along Musconetcong River, features remnants of one of 23 locks and section of towpath of the Morris Canal. Highlands Trail runs through the park. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Stephens State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Swartswood State Park | File:Swartswood Lake from the state park beach.jpg | Stillwater Township, Sussex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7653944}} | Template:Convert | New Jersey's first state park. The focus of the park was a place for recreation at the state's third-largest freshwater lake, Swartswood Lake (a glacial lake). | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Swartswood State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Tall Pines State Preserve | File:Tall Pines State Preserve - July 2017.jpg | Deptford Township and Mantua Township in Gloucester County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q24259875}} | Template:Convert | Former golf course with over 4 miles of asphalt and grass walking trails through unmaintained natural areas. Mantua Creek runs through its center. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Tall Pines State Preserve. Retrieved April 26, 2020.</ref> | |
| Voorhees State Park | File:Lakeside at Voorhees State Park in Hunterdon County New Jersey.jpg | Glen Gardner Borough, Hunterdon County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7941714}} | Template:Convert | Former New Jersey governor Foster M. Voorhees created the park with donation of his Template:Convert farm; scenic views of Round Valley Reservoir and Spruce Run Reservoir; an observatory and astronomy education center, operated by the New Jersey Astronomical Association, offers the largest working telescope accessible to the public in the state—a 26-inch Cassegrain reflector. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Voorhees State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Washington Crossing State Park | File:Washington Crossing Park.jpg | Washington Crossing and Titusville sections of Hopewell Township in Mercer County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7971803}} | Template:Convert | Commemorates site where General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, before the Battle of Trenton during the American Revolution. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Washington Crossing State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Washington Rock State Park | File:Washington.Rock.jpg | Green Brook Township, Somerset County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q14705916}} | Template:Convert | Site of a lookout used by George Washington in 1777 monitor British troop movements around New York City and northern New Jersey when the Continental Army was stationed at the Middlebrook encampment. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Washington Rock State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> | |
| Wawayanda State Park | File:Wawayanda.jpg | Vernon Township in Sussex County; West Milford in Passaic County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q3364105}} | Template:Convert | Wawayanda offers Template:Convert of trails including a Template:Convert segment of the Appalachian Trail. Features Template:Convert Bearfort Mountain Natural Area, Template:Convert Wawayanda Hemlock Ravine Natural Area (Template:Convert), and Template:Convert Wawayanda Swamp Natural Area | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Wawayanda State Park. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
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State forestsEdit
| State park | Image | Location | Created | Size | Features and activities | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abram S. Hewitt State Forest | File:Abram-S-Hewitt-State-Forest.jpg | near Hewitt, West Milford Township in Passaic County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4669381}} | Template:Convert | Accessible only by foot, this park is located on Bearfort Mountain, the eastern terminus of the Wawayanda Plateau, between Greenwood Lake and Upper Greenwood Lake and features a portion of the Appalachian Trail | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Abram S. Hewitt State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Bass River State Forest | File:Bass-River-State-Forest.jpg | Burlington County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4867965}} | Template:Convert | Bass River is New Jersey's first state forest. Features the Template:Convert man-made Lake Absegami, the remains of the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-55 (1933–1942), a Template:Convert portion of Pine Barrens pygmy forest in the West Pine Plains Natural Area, and the pine/oak woods and a small Atlantic white cedar bog of the Absegami Natural Area | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Bass River State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Belleplain State Forest | File:Acadian-Flycatcher-at-Belleplain-State-Forest.jpg | near Woodbine in Cumberland and Cape May counties Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4883801}} | Template:Convert | Features young pine, oak and Atlantic white cedar, and the remains of three CCC camps, and Lake Nummy, formerly the Meisle Cranberry Bog | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Belleplain State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Brendan T. Byrne State Forest | File:2013-05-10 13 17 37 Cranberry bog along the Mount Misery Trail in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in New Jersey.jpg | New Lisbon, Woodland Township in Ocean County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4259723}} | Template:Convert | Features the site of Lebanon Glass Works (1851–1867); Whitesbog Village, an active nineteenth- and twentieth-century cranberry and blueberry producing community where the high bush blueberry was developed. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Jenny Jump State Forest | File:Flickr - Nicholas T - Loose-Leaf.jpg | Hope in Warren County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q6179352}} | Template:Convert | The park features the Template:Convert high, Template:Convert long Jenny Jump Mountain ridge, large glacial boulders and outcroppings from the Wisconsin glaciation, and because the area enjoys the darkest skies in New Jersey, the park is home to the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey's Greenwood Observatory, open for public stargazing. | <ref>United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, Main Page, section "UACNJ Observatory at Jenny Jump". Retrieved September 29, 2015. Quote: "The UACNJ Observatory is located at Latitude 40 54' 26.8" North, Longitude 74 55' 31.8" West, and 1100 feet above sea level in Jenny Jump State Forest, near Hope, New Jersey, in Warren County."</ref> |
| Norvin Green State Forest | File:Wyanokie High Point.jpg | West Milford Township and Bloomingdale Borough in Passaic County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7060766}} | Template:Convert | Located near Wanaque Reservoir and part of the Wyanokie Wilderness Area, this state forest features Wyanokie High Point and views of the Manhattan skyline is part of the Northeastern coastal forests ecoregion and accessible only by foot. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Norvin Green State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Penn State Forest | File:A303, Oswego River, Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey, USA, 2010.JPG | Jenkin's Neck in Burlington County Template:Coord |
1910 | Template:Convert | Features Oswego Lake and River and a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp, as well as part of New Jersey's pygmy forest. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Penn State Forest. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Ramapo Mountain State Forest | File:2013-05-12 15 09 39 Stream along the MacEvoy Trail in Ramapo Mountain State Forest in New Jersey.jpg | Passaic and Bergen counties Template:WikidataCoord |
- | Template:Convert | Former estate of Clifford MacEvoy on Ramapo Mountain, includes the Template:Convert Ramapo Lake Natural Area | - |
| Stokes State Forest | File:Understory state park.jpg | Sandyston, Montague, and Frankford townships in Sussex County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q7618538}} | Template:Convert | Created with a donation of land by New Jersey Governor Edward C. Stokes, this state forest on Kittatinny Mountain includes the Tillman Ravine Natural Area, and New Jersey School of Conservation (operated by Montclair State University) | - |
| Wharton State Forest | File:Mullica River 7.jpg | Large tract through Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q4259726}} | Template:Convert | New Jersey's largest state forest, features the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion as well as the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, and the watershed of the Mullica River, including historic Batsto Village, a former bog iron and glass manufacturing site from 1766 to 1867, and extensive hiking trails. | - |
| Worthington State Forest | File:WorthingtonStateForest.jpg | Knowlton and Hardwick townships in Warren County Template:WikidataCoord |
from=Q8037258}} | Template:Convert | Part of the former estate of Charles Campbell Worthington, features Mount Tammany (elevation Template:Convert), the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap and southern areas of Kittatinny Mountain, including the Template:Convert Dunnfield Creek Natural Area (a Wild Trout stream) and Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake | - |
Recreation areasEdit
| State park | Image | Location | Created | Size | Features and activities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atsion Recreation Area | File:Lake Atsion.jpg | Shamong Township in Burlington County Template:WikidataCoord |
- | - | Located in Wharton State Forest | - |
| Bull's Island Recreation Area | File:BullsIslandNJ-aerial-hi.svg | Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Delaware Township in Hunterdon County Template:WikidataCoord |
- | Template:Convert | - | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Bull's Island Recreation Area. Retrieved August 16, 2015.</ref> |
| Round Valley Recreation Area | File:RoundValleySign3.JPG | Lebanon and Clinton townships in Hunterdon County Template:WikidataCoord |
1968 | Template:Convert | Trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking; camping, fishing, hunting (waterfowl only), picnicking, boating/canoeing (gas motors limited 10 hp), swimming, scuba and skin diving, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, sledding | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Round Valley Recreation Area. Retrieved August 16, 2015.</ref> |
| Spruce Run Recreation Area | File:Spruce Run Recreation Area, Beach Area, NJ.jpg | Union and Clinton townships in Hunterdon County Template:WikidataCoord |
1974 | Template:Convert | - | - |
| Warren Grove Recreation Area | - | Warren Grove in Ocean and Burlington counties Template:Coord |
1972 | Template:Convert | Administered by the Bass River State Forest, this site was acquired from the National Park Service in 1972. This site is part of what is known as the "Pygmy Forest", featuring the groves of Pitch Pine that is part of the Dwarf Pine Plains Habitat in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Features the endangered broom crowberry (Corema conradii) and other rare plant species. | <ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: Warren Grove Recreation Area. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
State marinasEdit
| Marina | Image | Location | Berths | Maximum vessel length | Draft | Description | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina | - | Atlantic City, Atlantic County Template:Coord |
640 | Template:Convert | Template:Convert | Located on Clam Creek and Huron Avenue across the street from the Golden Nugget (formerly Trump Marina Hotel and Casino) in Atlantic City, access to the Atlantic Ocean through Absecon Inlet or the Intracoastal Waterway | <ref name="NJmarinas">New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Parks: New Jersey State Marinas. Retrieved September 29, 2015.</ref> |
| Forked River State Marina | - | Forked River in Lacey Township, Ocean County Template:Coord |
125 | Template:Convert | Template:Convert | Access to Atlantic Ocean via Barnegat Inlet, near "BB" Buoy, Barnegat Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway | <ref name="NJmarinas" /> |
| Fortescue State Marina | - | Fortescue, Downe Township, Cumberland County Template:WikidataCoord |
125 | Template:Convert | Template:Convert | Access to Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. | <ref name="NJmarinas" /> |
| Leonardo State Marina | - | Leonardo in Middletown Township, Monmouth County Template:Coord |
176 | Template:Convert | Template:Convert | Located next to Sandy Hook, access to the Atlantic Ocean and New York Bay | <ref name="NJmarinas" /> |
| Liberty Landing Marina | - | Liberty State Park in Jersey City, Hudson County Template:Coord |
200 | Template:Convert | Template:Convert | Located in Liberty State Park across from Manhattan, with access to Liberty Science Center, and by ferry to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New York City. | <ref name="NJmarinas" /> |
State-owned historic sitesEdit
These are state-owned historical sites in New Jersey.<ref>New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, State-owned Historic Sites. Retrieved September 30, 2015.</ref> These state-owned historical sites are open to the public year-round on Wednesdays through Sundays (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
See alsoEdit
- List of New Jersey wildlife management areas
- List of Registered Historic Places in New Jersey
- Palisades Interstate Park - a protected area overseen by both New York and New Jersey along the Hudson River.
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project Template:GeoGroup
Template:New Jersey Parks Template:New Jersey Historic Sites Template:Lists of state parks by U.S. state Template:US state navigation box