Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Wharton State Forest, Apple Pie Hill, and Popcorn Park Animal Refuge. Also, be sure to include Cedar Lake in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (New Jersey).
Table of Contents
Wharton State Forest
State park in New Jersey. Wharton State Forest is the largest state forest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, encompassing approximately 122,880 acres of the Pinelands northeast of Hammonton. Its protected acreage is divided between Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties. The entire forest is located within the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion as well as the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. The forest is located in the forested watershed of the Mullica River, which drains the central Pinelands region into the Great Bay. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
The forest is also the location of the historic Batsto Village, a former bog iron and glass manufacturing site from 1766 to 1867. The forest includes extensive hiking trails, including a section of the Batona Trail, which connects the forest to nearby Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Bass River State Forest. It also includes over 500 miles (800 km) of unpaved roads. The rivers, including the Mullica, are popular destinations for recreational canoeing.
The forest is named for Joseph Wharton, who purchased most of the land that now lies within the forest in the 19th century. Wharton wanted to tap the groundwater under the Pine Barrens to provide a source of clean drinking water for Philadelphia; however, the New Jersey Legislature quashed the plan by passing a law that banned the export of water from the state. The state bought the vast tract from Wharton's heirs in the 1950s.[1]
Address: 31 Batsto Rd, New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
Apple Pie Hill
Hill in New Jersey. Apple Pie Hill is a hill in Tabernacle Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. It is 205 feet tall, making it one of the highest points of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. A 60-foot-tall fire tower stands atop the summit, offering views of the surrounding Pine Barrens. The skylines of Atlantic City and Philadelphia are visible from the top of the tower. It lies along the Batona Trail in Wharton State Forest, making it a popular hiking destination.
On September 10, 2016, due to vandalism, the Department of Environmental Protection closed Apple Pie Hill to public access by erecting a fence around the tower. However, the tower is open to visitors when staff members are present and by appointment.
Soils are sandy almost everywhere, with profiles that resemble classic podzol development; Atsion, Lakehurst, Lakewood, and Woodmansie are common soil series.[2]
Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
Animal sanctuary in Lacey Township, New Jersey. Popcorn Park Animal Refuge is a small non-profit 7-acre animal refuge and sanctuary located in Forked River, New Jersey, within Lacey Township. According to the Associated Humane Societies, the refuge is "a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused or elderly wildlife, exotic and farm animals, and birds." The refuge has programs to educate visitors about animals and their environments and offers hundreds of rescued dogs and cats for adoption, in their separate adoption building. The name "Popcorn Park" was adopted due to the small fee visitors pay to the entrance which grants them entry and a box of popcorn with which they can feed certain animals.[3]
Address: 1 Humane Way, 08731-5800 Forked River
Cedar Lake
Lake in New Jersey. Cedar Lake is a 99-acre, residential lake, private community and unincorporated community located within Denville Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The community's governing body, the Cedar Lake Property Owners, has been maintaining its 320 acres of land since June 2, 1925.[4]
St. Padre Pio Shrine
Shrine in Buena, New Jersey. The St. Padre Pio Shrine is an outdoor Roman Catholic shrine in the Landisville section of Buena, New Jersey dedicated to the 20th-century Italian saint Padre Pio and completed in 2002.[5]
Address: Corner of Weymouth and Harding Hwy, New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
Mays Landing Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian church in Hamilton, New Jersey. Mays Landing Presbyterian Church is a historic church at Main Street and Cape May Avenue in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
It was built in 1841 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[6]
Address: 6001 Main St, 08330-1813 Mays Landing
Holy Virgin Protection skete
Orthodox church in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey. The Hermitage Of The Holy Protection is a male skete under Eastern American and New York Diocese of Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey. Rector Very Reverend Abbot Tikhon. www.holyskete.com
Founded in 1953 as parish church of Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos in Russian Cossack settlement New Kuban. The revival of the parish began after the transformation of the parish Church to the Holy Virgin Protection skete in autumn 2015. Since 2016, the skete celebrations are held every first Sunday of the month and holidays.
The skete is home to a Russian Orthodox cemetery. The brethren care for the grounds and tombstones, and those who wish can purchase land for family burial.[7]
Double Trouble State Park
County park in Ocean County, New Jersey. Double Trouble State Park is located in Lacey and Berkeley Townships in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The park was once the Double Trouble company's company town. The park's wilderness is part of the Pine Barrens ecosystem. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.[8]
Atlantic County Courthouse
Courthouse. The Atlantic County Courthouse is the historical courthouse for Atlantic County, New Jersey located in the county seat of Mays Landing, itself a part of Hamilton Township, U.S. It now houses the Office of County Clerk. The Atlantic County Sheriff's Office and older county jails are behind the building.
The building was originally constructed in 1838 and expanded over the years It was renovated in 2010. It is a contributing property to the Mays Landing Historic District listed in 1990 on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places (#338) and the National Register of Historic Places (#90001245).
The building has been superseded by the Atlantic County Criminal Courts Complex, (1978) also in Mays Landing (39°26′18″N 74°41′28″W) and the Atlantic County Civil Courts Complex in Atlantic City (39°21′50″N 74°25′36″W), which are part of the 1st vicinage.[9]
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Park in New Jersey. The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is a 37,242 acres state forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Its protected acreage is split between Burlington and Ocean Counties.[10]
Belleplain State Forest
State park in New Jersey. Belleplain State Forest is a 21,320-acre New Jersey State Forest in northern Cape May County and eastern Cumberland County. It has many young pine, oak and Atlantic white cedar trees, having better soil than the northern Pine Barrens. It was established in 1928 and the Civilian Conservation Corps set up camps in 1933, and converted Meisle Cranberry Bog into Lake Nummy, and constructed the original forest headquarters, maintenance building, a road system, bridges, and dams.
The forest includes recreational facilities for picnicking, boating, camping, hunting and fishing, swimming, and over 40 miles (64 km) of walking trails. A fee is charged for camping and picnicking.
On June 7, 2002, the Green Acres Program added 230 acres (0.93 km2) of privately owned land to Belleplain. Donated by the Brewer family, the property comprises approximately 200 acres (0.81 km2) of woodlands - including Atlantic white cedar trees - surrounding 30-acre (0.12 km2) Cedar Lake (also known as Hands Mill Pond) on West Creek in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County.
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Ed King resided on a Property within the Forest.[11]