New Jersey State Parks: Camping and Recreation Guide

New Jersey harbors 122 wildlife management areas, 42 state parks and forests, and 7 national
reserves, yet most residents will go a lifetime without setting foot on the Appalachian Trail or
standing atop a Kittatinny Mountain overlook. Part of this contradiction is born from a
perception that remote and exotic places cannot exist in the most densely populated state in
the country. Informed travelers have long held a different perception, and will point to areas
within the Garden State more reminiscent of the Colorado River than the Delaware. The
southern pinelands alone represent the largest protected tract of land on the Eastern Seaboard
between Boston and the Richmond, an area known as the Pinelands National Reserve. Add to
that another 330,000 acres of park and forest land, 310,000 acres protected as wildlife
management areas, and the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area shared
by Pennsylvania.

In a small and populated state such as New Jersey, it is even more important to understand
the areas where we can recharge ourselves and breathe a clean sigh. New Jersey State Parks:
Camping and Recreation Guide offers suggestions that will leave the crowds behind; it is a
compilation of scenic vistas, remote waterfalls, and secluded mountain trails. More than 80
wildlife areas are included, ranging from the sheer cliffs of Kittatinny Ridge, to the 1.1 million
acres comprising New Jersey’s southern Pine Barrens. Destinations vary from Atlantic Ocean
islands accessible by car, to panoramic vistas at the end of long and rugged hikes.

The guidebook is also written with the notion that once campers pitch a tent they are ready to
climb an isolated peak, paddle a quiet river, or mountain bike along the base of a nearby
ravine. Camping is covered in detail, but so are activities such as fishing, birding, and boating.
The pages combine all of the information necessary for a journey to New Jersey’s State
Parks and natural areas, including trail descriptions with maps, a summary of the best and
most private campsites, and advice about every conceivable activity near public camping in
the Garden State, from scuba diving to butterfly watching. Readers will also find an account
of historical sites, serene beaches, horseback riding trails, and a variety of winter pursuits
such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and dogsledding. With more than 25
activities and 85 wildlife areas described in depth, travelers should be able to find ideas that
will suit a holiday weekend, an entire day, or just a few hours on a summer afternoon.