Still a wonderful place to see the birds as you drive the 6 mile loop. Spring and fall are the…read morebest times but even in the off seasons, rain or shine, you will catch a glimpse of something notable. Hundreds of egrets this past weekend plus we identified another 25 species or so. Great for folks who love nature for whom mobility is challenging.

What a natural gem so near to Atlantic City. A primr example of the succes of the Duck Stamp…read moreprogram. I actually was able to still purchase the 2025 Stamp to further support such a valuable tool to save wildlife. Plenty of parking, restrooms and a very nice Visitor Center with informative displays & a gift shop. Visitors can pick up maps, info and updates on what you could see in the refuge. The Staff is friendly & helpful. Kelvin is amazing, he does a drive through of the Park prior to his shift so he can give daily updates, there is a board listing his sightings. He is also an expert on the area and willing to take the time to discuss the refuge, and directions to other possible spots to visit. Birders, do not pass on the opportunity to speak to Kelvin if he is available. One of the best we have had the pleasure of speaking to on NWR Journey. Weather was dismal, but the Wildlife Drive was incredible, we did two days in a row & saw plenty of wildlife.

Beautiful nature spot for walking hiking biking bird watching, dog walking, year roundread more

I have never seen anyone in the water. However, it's a great place to walk your dog or take a…read morewalk. You just have to be careful not to trip on the exposed tree roots.

This is a rather special Yelp. Its not for a restaurant or hotel or cafe or salon. Its for a ghost…read moretown. Yep. In New Jersey. In the Pine Barrens. Scared? No need to be. Its a superb day trip--a place unlike any other. You wont find tourists here; or probably any other living soul for miles around. Its just not that well-known enough. Its not an excursion accompanied by a lot of tourist-board support, advertising, or fanfare. There are no audioguides, no pamphlets, no maps. There's also no fees, gates, ticket-stands, trinkets, permits, or clerks. You can just park on the shoulder of the expressway, and mosey right in off the roadside. Its just a tract of deserted woodland. Its a part of New Jersey only a few people ever have reason to explore; its for the imaginative and intrepid. In the course of a year, the site probably only gets a couple photographers, an artist or two, or perhaps an author once in a while. Some 4WD-nuts pass by occasionally. [And this Yelp won't change that--even if I told you about great dining here, this place will always be forlorn and neglected.] Its the location of a vanished Piney town which sprang up in the 1800s around an iron-smelting furnace; and which has now almost completely disappeared from above-ground. Iron? There were iron mines in New Jersey? Not exactly. Its a strange chemical process, organically-occurring, whereby it forms in the swamps and bogs around here. You'll notice all the water is naturally 'tea'-colored. But all the left-behind equipment and abandoned buildings are now, just as if they never were. You might only notice some strange shapes --hummocks, berms--in the terrain and that's about it. This is where your imagination comes to the fore. You're strolling around on top of a village. Chalk one up for NATURE! If it doesn't grab your fancy, then..no matter--just wandering around in the Pine Barrens is in itself, ethereal and stupefying. Take care not to get lost; because the trees have an eerie manner of all looking exactly the same. A few unmindful steps can get you turned around. The Pine Barrens are just a fabulous and unique environment. People love to discredit the Garden State without ever having heard of forests like this. To try to explain: the soil is flat, level, and sandy and without underbrush--covered only with a carpet of pine needles. Thus, with the trees racing up so tall and straight--like columns in a church--and also branching so high; the effect is quite cathedral-like. Sun slants through as if coming through high windows. And its uncannily quiet. Like a big empty room. Just the coolest. Bring boots (its occasionally muddy) and a survival knife *just in case* of feral dogs. I recommend this excursion to all the Yelpers who like to make a fuss over their daring and adventurous, active lifestyles. You're not impressing me with your tour-guide led whitewater rafting adventures. Try exploring the Pine Barrens. .

The Batona Trail is one of the most underrated things to do in all of South Jersey. One possible…read morereason people don't know about it is because nobody makes money off it. It's not a business. It's a 53.5 mile trail through the Pine Barrens. It starts at Ongs Hat in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, continues south through Wharton State Forest, and ends at Bass River State Forest. You will see lots of abandoned cranberry bogs, cedar and pitch pine forests, and ruins of colonial era iron furnaces. It was started in 1961 by a hiking club. The trail is well blazed with pink. Be careful of ticks. The trail is only moderately difficult because of length. You can hike it all at once as long as you have three or four days, but you need to camp. You need a camping permit from the state forest office. I've been doing it in stages as day hikes as I'm just parking at one of the roads that cuts through it each time.

Best park.on the area with tons of trails for mountain bikes and hikers. The trails are very well…read moremaintained and clean. You can spend an entire day here just exploring the various trails. They also have a bathroom in addition to porta potties. Highly recommend and the entrance is free.

Nice big spot with lots of trails and fun and adventure…read more Parking areas, private areas.

This is my second hike at this park. I believe I have hiked through all the trails at this point…read more It is very scenic and overall I give it a 2/10 in terms of difficulty. The red and purple trails were my favorite. On my second trip here I wanted to hike for about an hour but I ended up getting lost. Lost in terms of I want to get out but I don't know which way is the exit...I could definitely see the trail markers all throughout though! I recalled seeing a red color marker at the entrance so I followed that but ended up going deeper into the woods. I don't believe the white trail is fully finished as I had to double back a few times. I used google maps to get a sense of where I was but still couldn't make my way to the main road. Went in circles between the blue and green trails (the green trail said it was a 5K, not going to lie I got a bit worried there) but eventually I managed to make my way to Bortons road! and then it was another 30 min walk to my car along kettle run road. So what was supposed to be an hour nice weekend stroll ended up being 2 1/2 hours. Can't complain though, loved exploring!

I am truly NOT the outdoorsy type but I will agree to the occasional hike or bike ride and this was…read moreone of those days. We decided to explore Black Run Preserve for our first bike trail experience since moving to the area and it didn't disappoint. There are plenty of bike and hiking trails and doing a little research online prior to going I was able to map out which trails would be best for us, specifically since I'm a nervous beginner lol. The trails are color coded and tbe associated color markings are on trees along the trails so you know which trail you're on. There is so much beautiful scenery surrounding you whether you're on bike or foot and there's a real sense of peace and tranquility in the Preserve, Definitely spray yourself down with bug repellent and wear longer pants and tops if it isn't too hot because there are warning signs for ticks and such given it's truly a wooded area. We will be back in the fall for another ride among the beautiful foliage.

There are 20+ miles of trails for biking and hiking. But is not blazed like a regular trail…read more One small section goes on private property. If you watch you'll see a sign stating private property, but the trail continues around on the private property then back to township property. First time I went was the only person on the trail. Second visit there were 6-8 trucks and as many mountain bikers exiting the trails. Not sure who has right of way? Nice trail. A lot of off shoots. Use All Trails app to help you navigate.

Decided to visit a different part of the beach in ocean city and saw these markings in the sand…read more Thought they were so cute and clever I had to take a picture. Corson's inlet was a beautiful beach and mostly empty as it was after Labor Day.

Corson's Inlet State Park is one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen in North America. This…read moretotally natural stretch of Atlantic coast line straddles three islands on the Jersey Cape There are paths through the extensive sand dunes and of course one can always walk on both the ocean and the bay cove beaches. The views across the inlet to charming Strathmere are super. Did you know the only poem in the definitive Norton Anthology of Poetry in the English language featuring a beach is the poem 'Corson's Inlet' by A.R. Ammons? If this beautiful shore spot is good enough for the poets, it is good enough for me.

This place is awesome, good hiking paths and good fishing areas. We ended up finding several…read morespecies of frogs, toads, turtles, etc while there. Only downside is that there are tons of ticks and the map could be better but thats no biggie.

Love this place. Two play areas for the kids. One for the younger kids, and one for the older kids…read more The county tries really hard to keep this place nice. Wish they would fix the fence around the younger kids' playground.

Blueberry Hill is my favorite place to walk It has…read morewheelchair accessible You're definitely burning calories There are hills you can climb Different signs along the way some trails have pretty flowers. I recommend this place to anyone.

Nice place for a scenic walk on mostly paved trails, and there was indeed some blueberries growing…read moreat the top of that hill! GPS brought me to a parking lot near the red trail, and there are several intersecting in-and-out trails that measure roughly 2.5 miles each. I would've liked to stay longer and check them all out, but we only had time to do 1.5 trails before we had to turn back. If I lived nearby I would check it out again!