Awesome park that's kept incredibly clean! The splash pad for the kids is well-maintained, free to…read moreuse, and open seasonally. There's a small playset with a fun rope-climbing area, plus a short walking path along the bay where you'll often see people crabbing off the dock. The park has plenty of picnic space with barbecue grills, as well as clean public restrooms. It's also an amazing spot to catch both the sunrise and sunset!

A small but experience-packed park. It's right on the water (views, but no swimming) with a…read moresheltered pavilion, grills, fishing, crab cleaning stations ( yes, you can crab here), bring your corn hole bags to try out the granite "boards", a mini spray park and unique playground experiences. A very different park.

I'm generally not an advocate of hiking in the rain (or really whenever anything is falling from…read morethe sky), but this is definitely the place to do it if you're going to. The Millennial Chum and I made our Pine Barrens hiking debut here this past Saturday, which was rainy and hovering in the high 40s. Our itinerary was very straight-forward - it was an 8.5-mile hike along the white trail (my ye olde pre-Sandy NJ hiking book identifies it as the Penns Hill Trail, but the website for Wells Mills cites it as the Macri trail; regardless, it's the white one), which is basically one giant loop circling Wells Mills Lake, though it veers much further west than that at several points. Our book claimed this would take four to five hours, which we thought was a ridiculous overestimate and was - we did this in a little over three hours, though we're both in good shape and really didn't stop. We were both enormously impressed by the facilities and trail markings here. The Nature Center at the beginning of the hike looks and is pretty spiffy, with a toasty, clean bathroom and helpful kiosks with maps to grab (handheld maps are not a given in this day and age). They DID run out of hand soap, but I think any of us would take a warm, functioning indoor plumbing situation over what we usually have to deal with. There was one time late in the hike when we stopped to peer around for the next marking, but we literally found it about five seconds later. Given that a lot of the trails overlap, turn and often cut into or across non-hiking fire trails, I thought they did a great job denoting the specific routes. I expected the entire hike to be flat, which is my general/uninformed impression of the Pine Barrens, but it actually had a few ups and downs over dune-like, woody hills, especially in the first two miles. Nothing crazy, and while we stopped for a few water breaks at the top of those mounds, we never felt obligated to pause to catch our breaths. I'm at a point in 2023 where I'm gauging the strenuousness of an activity based on what my Fitbit says, and it claimed I had no zone moments, which is essentially high cardio activity. So take that for what you will. Regardless, I think this is also a selling point, as I've actually been reluctant to hike around here due to the lack of terrain; definitely adds some character. The viewpoint situation was not my favorite. On a rainy day like this, you're treated to an X-files-esque view of a lake right at the beginning, complete with Vancouver-like pine trees (if you know, you know), but this is not a hike where you're going to end up looking out over anything; even the tops of the hills are in the middle of the woods, so you're just looking at the same trees you were looking at when you were at the bottom, just...higher. The other downside (depending on your perspective) is that this is probably the best kind of weather for the Pine Barrens in many ways, but it's hazardous. This hike has many boardwalks throughout the damper/swampier areas, but they get very slippery when it's rainy. I don't believe either of us legit lost our footing but we both hollered, 'Careful!' a lot. I'd recommend some tread on the hindpaws. I suspect due mostly to the weather, the wildlife and canine chum situations were terrible. We saw a pooch in the parking lot getting ready for a walk, but never encountered one during the entire 8.5 miles (and only saw a miserable-looking boy scout troop and two other people). Hopefully others have better luck. There was also a bright pink port-a-potty about halfway through right where the trail brushes up against the scout reservation, so if nature calls and you're trying to avoid direct body contact with pine needles dot dot dot. A lot of the hiking intangibles are here, so it's hard not to recommend this for just about anyone, regardless of skill level. It's not the kind of hike I'd do for a real workout, but to just get some fresh air and steps in? It's a nice change of pace if you're in the area.

Wells Mills County Park is the largest county park in Ocean County. It's substantial actually. It…read moreactually feels more like a state park because the trails are longer and more involved. There's no admission fee to enter, which is great. You can just hang out closer to the main entrance by the lake. You can also go down the trails for just a little bit and come back. So, it can be what do you make of it. They have trails of all different lengths, however. The trails interconnect, so you can "cheat" and don't have to go down the full length of them. The green trail takes about an hour and a half to walk around. The white trail is windier and a little bit more scenic. The white trail also goes down much closer to the lake and through the cedar or swamp next to the lake. The yellow trail is very long. I've been on parts of it, but I've heard that it's relatively boring. One day I will want to walk the whole distance of it because it's close to 10 miles long. While most parks in Ocean County tend to be flat like a pancake, there's a little bit more elevation here. Some parts of the green and white trail would be easy to moderately difficult. But the trails are well blazed, and it's not terrible. Be careful because the trail map that I found online is old, and they have since updated it. When you come in there's a board that has a map posted. You can pick up an updated trail map there. It's also recommended that you sign in if you are going to be hiking for a distance. You don't want to get stuck in there and have the gates close on you. It's for your safety. There is a canoe launching dock on the lake, as well. When my friend comes next summer, who is a big kayaker, then I'll try it out. But I mostly go just for exercise and to go on the trails now. The park has a very safe feel, and I feel comfortable walking there. People generally say hi to you when you pass them on the trail. The only thing you need to worry about is ticks that may cause Lyme disease. So, make sure that you check for ticks, and take a shower as soon as you get home from there.

Love this place! Different entrances, beautiful scenery and wildlife, very well maintained. Great…read moretrails, nice place to be in touch with nature & our dog loves it as much as we do. Warning--it's very wet after snow & rain.

My favorite place to walk through. So peaceful and well maintained. Occasional water views and easy…read moreto follow trails.

A beautiful Bay side beach - a place to rinse your feet (outdoor showers) and a free rest room…read more We love LBI and especially the northern end.

FREE PARKING at the beach!! Well actually on the bay side, but you can walk across the street and…read morebe at the beach. We parked here two days in a row, both times walking over to the ocean side beach...they are doing beach restoration, so we saw some bulldozers and workmen (which frankly didn't bother me as the sound was washed out by the wind and crashing waves). They offer public restrooms, as well as some playground stuff (all on the bay side). Beach badges were $6 per adult, a fine rate for the day as well as the parking and the facilities.

BEACHWOOD: it is love at first sight at Jakes Branch County Park! The woods along the trails are…read moreso pretty and just has a different feel than other parks we have been to. There are multiple hiking/walking/bike trails spanning from 0.2 to 3.8 miles, so something for every ability. Walk along berry bushes & plants, and "Jakes Branch" stream and over bridges and past picnic and play areas. Our photos do not do the park justice. The park borders Double Trouble State Park and we'll have to visit that another day. Be sure to grab a trail map or pull it up on your phone to have an idea of where you are going. Dogs must be leashed and cleaned up after.

Jakes Branch County Park is located on the other side of the parkway in Beachwood. It is a very…read morefamily oriented park and is good for general recreation. They have all different things to do, including fields for all types of sports fields up front and good playgrounds for kids. They have different length trails, too, so that you can get exercise walking through the woods. People walk on them, and I have also seen dirt bikers. There's no admission to enter. One thing that is creative about it is that they have these "play pockets". Most parks just have playgrounds up front near the entrance, but here you have to go down the trail to get to them. It's really suitable for children. The park in general has a safe feel. The woods are just basically pine forest. It's obviously not on the level of Yosemite. But it is a nice place to have locally. One cool thing they have there is a big mural done by a local artist over 30 years ago of the Hindenburg landing in Lakehurst. If you go up to the watchtower, you can even see the hangar all the way on the base in Lakehurst.

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.

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.

The most spectacular sunrise!…read more Only a short drive from my home and I can experience the serenity of the cove! Happy Spring! Got creative! With the bunny and tulips!

Played on the new pickleball courts last night. They are beautiful courts but the lights didn't go…read moreon so we had to cut our play short. Does anyone know if they are on a timer? We tried to turn them on by pushing the button that says "lights" but they never went on. Excited for a new place to play.

Finally since moving to South Jersey made it before the Island Beach State Park closed…read more Had to pay $5 to enter even though park was closing in 20 minutes. We drove to the trail #7 as recommended by the gate for the best sunset views! It was truly beautiful to see the sunset on the bay. Walked over to the beach- vehicles allowed on the beach, saw bonfires and lots of people fishing! Plan to buy season passes and enjoy this State Park more often!!

My favorite beach in Seaside! It's a nice clean beach, never really chaos and any craziness going…read moreon here. There's no pier/boardwalk like the other beaches which in turn makes it a much more peaceful beach to visit. Theres two food spots. One mini restaurant and a little food area with ice cream slushies, cheeseburgers, breakfast sandwiches, fries and more. The ice cream and milkshakes are good and refreshing! the breakfast sandwiches are good too. The cheeseburgers are not the best, cheap bun, meat and cheese and is not worth the $8. But all else has been good Service is nice a quick and theres picnic tables to sit and eat at in the food area as well. Theres bathrooms, dressing rooms and 2 areas of outdoor showers which is nice and convenient.