8 Overlooked State Parks and Natural Areas Near the Jersey Shore

Everybody knows Island Beach State Park and Sandy Hook. These are the other ones: public parks and forests within reach of the Jersey Shore that a lot of people drive right past on the way to the beach. I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato, REALTOR® and Lifestyle Connector with Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living, and these are my eight picks for a Saturday outside that isn't on a beach blanket.

Most of these are New Jersey state parks and forests. Three are county parks, because Monmouth and Ocean County run some of the best natural areas around.

1. Double Trouble State Park, Berkeley and Lacey

More than 8,000 acres on the eastern edge of the Pine Barrens. The center of it is a complete company town: a sawmill, a cranberry sorting and packing house, and the bogs around them. The first cranberry bogs here went in during the 1860s, and the historic village is on the State and National Registers. Cedar Creek runs through the park on its way to Barnegat Bay.

2. Bass River State Forest, near Tuckerton

New Jersey's first state forest, established in 1905, inside the Pinelands National Reserve. Lake Absegami, a 67-acre lake built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is the centerpiece. If you want to stay the night, there are standard campsites, lean-tos, shelters and cabins.

3. Allaire State Park, Wall and Howell

The draw is Historic Allaire Village, the 19th-century Howell Works, where the iron was made. The park is also home to the Pine Creek Railroad, a narrow-gauge line run by the New Jersey Museum of Transportation.

4. Cheesequake State Park, Old Bridge

Open since 1940 in Old Bridge, a short drive north of the Monmouth County line. What makes it different: it's where northern hardwood forest meets the southern pine barrens. In one walk you can pass an Atlantic white cedar swamp, salt and freshwater marshes and open fields.

5. Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Whitesbog Village

A little more than 38,000 acres, the second-largest state forest in New Jersey. Inside it is Historic Whitesbog Village, where Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville developed the first cultivated blueberry in 1916. Whitesbog covers about 3,000 acres of cranberry bogs, blueberry fields, reservoirs and sand roads. If you've ever eaten a Jersey blueberry, this is where the story starts.

6. Wells Mills County Park, Waretown

Ocean County's largest park: 910 acres of pine and oak forest in the Pine Barrens. The three-story nature center has exhibits, a library and an observation deck up top. There are trails for every level, a picnic area and a lake, and admission to the park and nature center is free.

7. Cattus Island County Park, Toms River

530 acres on Barnegat Bay, wrapped by Silver Bay, Mosquito Cove and Applegate Cove. Most of the park is salt marsh, with a stand of Atlantic white cedar and about seven miles of blazed trails and a boardwalk. The Cooper Environmental Center has live native reptiles and fish and hands-on exhibits.

8. Hartshorne Woods Park, Middletown and Highlands

Hilly forest over the Navesink River, which surprises people who think the shore is flat. The Monmouth County Park System bought the first 660 acres in 1974. Up top is Battery Lewis, a 16-inch gun battery and the largest coastal fortification built in New Jersey during World War II.

Find More Near These Parks

Living near a place like this is a big part of why people pick a town. If one of these parks has you curious about the area around it, start here:

• Berkeley Township and Lacey Township, home to Double Trouble, each with a free town guide.

• Toms River for Cattus Island, and Tuckerton for Bass River.

• Howell and Wall Township for Allaire, and Middletown and Highlands for Hartshorne Woods.

• More day trips: 13 hikes in New Jersey, and every town guide on the local guide page.

Picks in this article are the personal opinion of Dennis Mark Interdonato alone. They are not the views of Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living or of any park agency, and they are not a guarantee of any service. Park facts come from official park pages and are linked in our sources; park hours, programs and seasonal openings change, so check the park's official page before you go.