New Jersey's Top Five Outdoor Destinations

The idea of a local guidebook began when I returned from an around-the-world mountain
bike journey and found myself in New Jersey. After camping, hiking, and mountain biking in
regions like the Himalaya Mountains, India’s Kanha National Park, and China’s remote
Xinjiang Province, I longed for similar experiences in New Jersey. Many residents claimed
such wilderness areas did not exist in the Garden State, but I began seeking them out when
my spirit needed an infusion of peace and serenity. The guidebook is the culmination of my
15-year search. It is a list of destinations that will make a traveler feel apart from
mechanized society, and, in this ever-growing world of ours, make them feel close to the
wild.

Throughout my search for open space, I not only found New Jersey’s critics to be wrong,
but discovered many areas that reminded me of those remote corners of the earth I had
visited. New Jersey is a state of unbounded salt marshes on the Atlantic Ocean, high
ridgetops along the Kittatinny Mountains, and a vast southern pineland that is recognized by
the United Nations as one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet. It is a state where a trip to
Ken Lockwood Gorge can remind you of the Rocky Mountains, or a journey to the
Cohansey River Watershed brings to mind a remote island beach.

New Jersey is also a state of dense population and industry to be sure, but this book is
written for anyone tired of crowded summer beaches. This book is written for anyone
wishing to explore New Jersey’s little-known corners, quiet campgrounds, and mountain
corridors—places where a cell phone may serve as an efficient paperweight, but nothing
more.

The top five destinations in several categories are linked on the menu to the left, but it is by
no means a comprehensive list. The New Jersey State Parks guidebook describes the
areas in greater detail, and suggests many more destinations for 25 possible activities. I
hope you visit the ideas listed on the menu, and I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to send
me any feedback, and I'd love to hear about your own "top fives." We may even include a
few suggestions in the next edition. Good travels!