Cool and nice place to be wish it was a little bit cleaner from trash but nice off-road trailsread more

Truly enjoyed the serenity and bliss of walking the paths. It is good for an intimate stroll with…read morekin or romantic escape for lovers. Definitely Recommend.

Mantoloking Bridge Pier Park and Fishing Pier is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. With ample…read moreparking available, accessing the park is hassle-free. The fishing pier offers breathtaking views and a serene atmosphere, perfect for a relaxing day out. Whether you're an avid angler or simply seeking tranquility by the water, this park delivers an unforgettable experience. With its convenient location and picturesque setting, Mantoloking Bridge Pier Park is a gem worth visiting time and time again. Crabbing here always yields results and to the North is Point pleasant and to the South Toms River/Seaside so if you want to hit the shore and dine driving is easy, access from Rt. 35 or off 70 From Brick, a nice way to spend an afternoon and there are restrooms on site.

Amazing park! Children's park, boat launch ramp, and fishing peer. The people there are very…read morefriendly and the views are amazing

New Jersey has a lot of excellent hiking spots. It's understandable that most of them are in pretty…read morerural areas with tons of room to roam/explore. So when I found out there was a 5.7-mile hike in the immediate vicinity of Bridgewater/Somerville, I was pretty skeptical. This is a pretty chaotic section of the state, with a lot of major highways interconnecting and a mall and heinous traffic circle thrown in for good measure - it's not the first or 100th place I'd think of for a hike. That remains the case. You can't force the design of a hike, and this is a clear example of a situation where you should have had, say, a mile's worth of trails and left it at that. My chum and I came here on Saturday to take advantage of the unseasonably warm early December weather. It was mostly cloudy throughout the hike, but the temperature steadily rose and the sun was largely out by the end. It had been raining pretty steadily the prior day so we were expecting and encountered a lot of mud and some mild rock hopping, but nothing egregious. Both of us opted for running shoes over hiking/trail shoes; it was a LITTLE rockier than I expected and in hindsight I would have gone with the latter for better support, but I didn't suffer any consequences for the decision. Our trek started at the entrance/parking lot off of Newmans Road (spacious, easy to spot with a pretty clean port-a-potty; there were drops on the seat but that's people being animals and not a reflection on the park) following the red trail running roughly parallel to the Washington Valley Reservoir before crossing Chimney Rock Road and heading up and down the orange trail in a quasi loop that runs alongside the East Branch Reservoir before another brief foray on a road (this one Gilbride Rd) and then doing another loop on the yellow trail that goes up to the Chimney Rock Outlook before circling back to Gilbride, at which point you basically complete the prior orange loop and then head back on the other side of the Washington Valley Reservoir to the parking lot. If that sounds overly complicated, you're right. There are two huge issues that mar this hike for me. One is that whoever designed the trails/blazes for this place had no idea what they were doing. Literally every possible trail and offshoot is painted with a blaze, always the same color as the "main" trail. As such, it's incredibly difficult to follow an official hiking itinerary because every fork in the trail has two choices with the same color blaze. Incredibly foolish and short-sighted. We had to VERY carefully stop each time, look at the map in our book AND double-check the GPS/map on the AllTrails app (which I hate doing) just to make sure we were on the right path. There's no reason to put a blaze on literally any walkable route like that; no idea what they were thinking. The other problem is what I alluded to earlier - this is a populated area with minimal room to hike so you end up by definition having to cross and briefly walk alongside busy roads. Chimney Rock was incredibly busy midday on Saturday, and cars were whizzing by us the entire time (the first section was probably about two minutes long, while the second was five minutes - believe me, it felt longer). I'm stunned people don't get hit there, especially since there's not a lot of room off to the side for pedestrians. If you're at the point where you're brainstorming a hiking trail and you can't avoid having the hikers come into contact with moving vehicles, that's probably a clue to scrap the plans. The big selling point of this hike is Chimney Rock, which was apparently a lookout point for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. That's all well and good, but for the money they spent to put up a protective fence and pave the trail here, they couldn't be bothered to maintain the actual rock, which is covered by broken beer bottle glass. And I'm sure General Washington had a much prettier view back in the day than we did; we were treated to the gorgeous scenery of the Stavola Bound Brook Quarry - crushed stones as far as the eye can see! The best part of the hike by far was the last section on the northern side of the Washington Valley Reservoir, and this is the part I'd actually preserve for walking, etc. It definitely helped that the sun was out at this point, but there was a cute bridge and a lot of bird activity. My chum is an avid birdwatcher and will likely be returning to this part with her camera. We also encountered a fallen tree (picture attached) that was taken down by a beaver. Very cool sighting. Head over to Watchung Reservation if you're in the area and want to commune with nature. You may hear the sounds of Route 78 but at least you won't be crossing that highway as part of your hike.

The Washington Valley State Park parking lot is basically a hidden driveway with a small,…read moreinconspicuous sign that suddenly pops up out of nowhere after you've been driving for a while on Newmans Lane. Recommend using GPS to navigate lest you miss the entrance. The park is also accessible from Vosseller Avenue at Millers Lane, though Google Maps will default to Newmans Lane when you chart a route to "Washington Valley State Park". The Newmans Lane entrance seems to be popular with mountain bicyclists and dog walkers. The highlights of this park are the Washington Valley Reservoir and raptor watching in autumn. Otherwise, the trails are pretty low-key (boring even) which make for some relatively quiet walks, which are only interrupted occasionally by the sound of scurrying chipmunks and teenagers jumping into the reservoir in the summer. As another reviewer noted, some of the more remote parts of the trails are not thoroughly blazed, but you should be able find your way even without trail markers. Be sure to grab a park brochure from the wooden bulletin board at the trailhead if you need help navigating. The brochures are also great for swatting away gnats. The red trail has a lot of rocks/gravel and multiple changes in elevation, so you might want to wear shoes with sturdy soles and firm grip. The reservoir does not have a boat ramp but has various trails and rock formations for shoreline fishing (license required, of course). Random trivia: back in 2015, a convicted sex-offender was sighted here fishing before being arrested. With that being said, remember to curb your dog and be sure to leave before the park officially closes 1/2 an hour after sunset.

Windward Beach park is a jewel for Brick. It is set on land on the Metadeconk river and located off…read morePrinceton Avenue. There is a small beach with sand on the river plus grassy land, a playground, bathrooms, parking and much more. Events are sometimes held here but there are plenty of beach goers, walkers and players making it their daily routine . The parking is plentiful. The bathrooms are like camping restrooms but definitely welcomed if you spend time there. There is soap but you air dry your hands no paper towels. The beach part has sand and wonderful views of the water and the river's other side. Plenty of room to lay out and catch some rays. This sliver of recreational fun is a go to for those with kids, those who exercise or just those who appreciate the sun & being in nature

It has always been free in the past. It's a lovely little beach, and there is a great playground…read morethat I found opened! There was quite a bit of glass in the water also there were tons of jellyfish. Nice little pier for fishing is free, but they charged eight dollars for adults,To go on the beach,Kids were free!We have been to some musical shows they are that are amazing.

LAKEWOOD: is such an interesting town. It is congested like NYC, but you still get the feel of…read moresuburbia. We have been very curious about Lake Carasaljo and decided to take a ride and see what we could find at this park. We parked in one of the lots off of South Lake Drive and found an opening into the woods. There is a very narrow, but easy dirt path that winds through the woods, with the bustle of Lakewood not too far away. It was very pretty and peaceful. We didn't go too far and turned around to head back to walk around the path near the road.

TOMS RIVER: once you are done eating and drinking in Downtown Toms River, take a walk at Huddy…read morePark, a beautiful marina right on the Toms River. We had no idea that TR had so much history! There was a Revolutionary War battle right on the banks of the river and patriot Joshua Huddy was captured here and the town was left in ashes. This spot commemorates the history and in its modern days, has a farmers market and other events. It is really pretty and has a nice meandering path to walk around.

Huddy Park is one of the oldest parks in the region. It's named after Joshua Huddy, who was a…read morelocal militia commander during the Revolutionary War. The British actually attacked the village of Toms River because it was an important salt works village, and privateers from the village plundered British shipping vessels. Huddy Park has recently been all redone. It's a town park, as opposed to one with trails. There is a recreation of the blockhouse there which Joshua Huddy defended from the British. There is also a nice footbridge and a gazebo for concerts and weddings. They are trying to get more festivals to take place there.

Beautiful afternoon spent at winery. Amazing food trucks. Time spent with Drea, Matt ,sloane and…read moreFallon. Would differently come back. Beautiful here.

BOTTOM LINE: crowded alternative adjacent to Jacob Riis Park…read moreTIP/S: go early, exit early ...WHO: party of 1 WHY: curiosity WHAT: (Deets) I followed the crowd across the ball field to this beach. Compared to other beaches, there is less space to spread out because much of the land is roped off for nature preserve. Family friendly but folks were too close to one another IMO. I will say though, that the water seemed less littered with plastic and random waste, and I didn't have to tread through rocks and sharp shells to go in waist deep. That was a welcome surprise. WHEN: 7/12/20 WHERE: beach HOW: bike/ public transportation Q35 BATHROOM: 2 options, just off the water are port o johns. In the park area closer to the stables are separate gender restrooms. I used neither. WIFI: beats me DRESS CODE: as you wish SERVICE: n/a

Probably one of the best beaches in the city, simply because no one comes here. And the people that…read moredo are really nice and respectful. It's a serene spot, and you can find some naturalists and hipsters along the way. There are lots of rules, which can be a little annoying and they are heavily enforced, like no dogs on the beach and no alcohol. I hate that there are park rangers all over the place. There are no lifeguards on duty, so even if you're a good swimmer, don't go out too far in the water. The beach is immaculately clean with little trash, although it would be nice to see some more trash cans set up.