Love this place! Different entrances, beautiful scenery and wildlife, very well maintained. Great trails, 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. read more

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

A beautiful and peaceful park, tons of trails, nature center is a big plus!! Very educational for people of all ages. My lab work for environmental sciences took place at Cattus Island a great natural resource. read more

Cattus Island Park - Cattus Island Park - Parks Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

Very nice trails and also wonderful environmental center for kids. Great nature programs been coming here for 38 years!

This is one of my favorite NJ parks. It has a bit of everything...woods, marshlands and water. You can see many birds here. The trees in the area of the park hit hard by Superstorm Sandy are striking. read more

Nostalgic. Great for kids. There's scenic views and wild life and things to learn. A local semi secret. Take your kids the little info center/museum is neat and the trails and wandering is fun. read more

Beautiful walk out to a secluded beach on the Bay. You'll encounter Osprey, hawks, eagles and many birds along with bay creatures and flowers. The trail winds directly through the bay on both sides then it passes through woods. It's quite unique. I would guess it's 2 miles out and 2 miles back. Not including any hiking down the beach when u arrive. There are picnic bench's out by the beach and the occasional bench along the trail. Bring water. read more

Very nice walking trails, boardwalk and water views. Went with my boyfriend Steve and it was a great day.

This park is so unique and such a gem; I felt like I wasn't in New Jersey anymore! You will discover so much diverse wildlife and different habitats here. It's a great place to explore. It's pretty big and there's a few trails to choose from. The trail we took brought us to a secluded beach area. The paths are perfect for beginners and children, with many paths on boardwalk surfaces or flat dirt paths. You don't have to be an experienced hiker to come here, just need an appreciation for Mother Nature and some comfortable sneakers. From my memory, there is a place by the parking lot to have a picnic. They also have a nature center, which was closed in May 2020 when we went due to Covid. I will be coming back here for sure. I recommend to anyone who enjoys the great outdoors and is interested in Ocean County wildlife. read more

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Cattus Island Park is in Toms River. It's more like a peninsula off Barnegat Bay. There are multiple paths thru the park. The weather was great so it made the visit extra special. The wonder of the natural environment. Yes, very serene. During these times, you're aren't allowed in the epi-center. Walk at your own pace. Placards are on the side of the paths to enlighten you on the various types of vegetation. Porto potties avail. read more

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I was visiting nearby and had a beautiful spring day land on us so we wanted to get out of the house. Only thing was we were watching a six month old baby so we weren't sure if this would be super stroller friendly. I have to say it definitely was and we had such a fun time exploring. We started at the little boardwalk overlooking the marsh... great photo op!!! The we continued down one of the trails a good way. It was a beautiful day out so it was busy but not over crowded. It felt safe and well maintained too. If you are nearby this is a must stop and definitely offers easy mode and was baby friendly. They did have a playground too, but it was crowded after our walk so we skipped it on the way back to the car. Lots of parking too! read more

TOMS RIVER: Cattus Island County Park is beautiful and one of the most unique parks we have ever been to! The scenery is of the Silver Bay and Barnegat Bay and there are loads of nature to see. So many different plants, trees, and wildlife, with signage along the trails pointing information out. There are a few trails to choose from and we took the main trail to the beach area. It was flat and about 1 mile in each direction. Dogs are allowed on all trails and even in the indoor environmental center, as long as there is not a special event going on. In the warmer months, there is a butterfly garden too! Be sure to grab a trail map at the environmental center before you start your hike. read more

Cattus Island Park - Parks Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

This is a lovely and peaceful place to walk. I prefer fall, winter and spring to walk here since I don't love the heat. There Prine trees and lots of woods to hike through. A small nature center near the parking lot (free) to see some local (taxidermy) wildlife shown. Bird feeders and house you can observe out the window also. There are porta potties around which come in handy. Plenty of parking. A small but nice wooden board walk trail which goes out into a marsh area. I wish that would be expanded. There is a playground and some charcoal grills and picnic tables. When I have friends visit in Toms River I take them here to walk and enjoy some nature. read more

Great walking trails, with lots of shade and beautiful water views. My dog and I enjoyed our walk and I'll return again

Great half day expedition for all of the family. Definitely need tick and mosquito protection in season. Weekends there is an 11am session to interact with the animals, a feeding session at 1:30pm, and a guided walk at 2pm on trail. FREE FOR ALL. Donations are welcome. Well maintained and clean with many hardworking volunteers. Great change of pace for shore area. read more

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Lovely park, nature center and trails that are handicapped, stroller accessible...I visit frequently in warm weather months...

One of my favorite parks. I've spent many hours over the years walking the different paths and trails. Most of the main paths are flat and well maintained, I'm not an expert on accessibility, but I would imagine Cattus Island is. The trails off the main paths are usually well maintained, but you will get the occasional branch to watch for. Ticks are bad some years, but I've gone many years in a row without getting any. The butterfly garden is nice, though it's really more my wife's thing. If you're in the area and like Cattus Island, be sure to check out Double Trouble State Park down in Bayville. read more

Maybe I shouldn't be revealing all this info publicly, but Cattus is really one of the best kept secrets in Ocean County. There's no fee to enter. It's very close to my heart because I grew up going here. Now that I live back in the area, it's still a lot of fun to come to. Don't get me wrong. I'm not an outdoorsy person. I don't like difficult, dangerous trails. Cattus is not like that. You can go just in sneakers. You can stay on the main service road and just walk up and back. That way you can avoid the ticks. Or you can go on one of the nature trails that jut off from the main service road. The nature center has been completely remodeled, and kids would love looking at all the animals. BTW-- there are lots of cool wild animals in the park, including osprey, egrets, and turtles. All the trails are now redone. Some of the previous reviewers mentioned that they are in need of maintenance. That was right after Sandy. They are fixed now. The blue trail and maybe the red trail are the two most popular ones. If you want to be a little more adventurous, try the yellow or the orange trail. I think the orange trail has better water views. The yellow one is the least crowded. Just be careful of the ticks. Wear Deeps Woods Off. Shower right after you get home. Some of trails can be muddy, too, if it has been a wet season. Wear sneakers you don't mind getting dirty if you end up going on a trail. read more

Cattus Island Park - Orange trail - Parks Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

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This park is Beautiful and wildly diverse. It has marshes, a beach, and a butterfly garden. Lots of ticks on the trails so wear bug spray but it definitely worth the trip. read more

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Cattus Island Park, part of the Ocean County Parks System, is 530 acres of amazingly varied ecosystems, linked together by a well maintained network of trails. It is definitely one of my favorite places on earth, and I can tell you, my dogs like it even more than I do. I've been exploring it for about twelve years now, and I am always finding something new to check out, whether it be an island out in the saltmarsh, or a tiny hidden beach. I can't convey how fortunate I feel to have a place like this a mere mile and a half from my front door, but I beseech you, stay away! I like having the place to myself. But if you do go, and you should, please carry your garbage out with you. And if you bring your dogs, and you should do that too, please bring bags (there are often some at the main trailhead, but not always) and pick up after them. read more

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Cattus Island Park has a lot to offer. There is a nature center filled with snakes, fish, frogs and other animals. There are also many miles of trails through the woods and on boardwalks through the marshes. Now that F-Cove has been shut down by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the coves around Cattus Island have become more crowded and popular. Frequently you'll find a park ranger on the beach yelling at boaters that get too close to shore. I witnessed the ranger berate a father for allowing his 3-year old to make a sand castle on the beach. There seems to be a "no fun allowed" law on the Barnegat Bay. read more

What a Gem! When you get to the beach out by Silver Bay, you cannot believe how pristine it is. I cannot wait to go back when the Osprey are back. This is one of NJ's hidden treasures!!! read more

Lots of trails with many that lead to small sandy beaches. Lovely to walk/run in the winter. Have yet to go in the summer months but I'm sure it's a great location! read more

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The place in literally INFESTED WITH TICKS during the summer months. Please DO NOT bring your dogs here. Also, the trails seem to be neglected and are in need of some maintenance... unless you enjoy one lane trails with overgrown wildlife smacking you in the face every step. The place could be fun to explore, but be careful! read more

One of my favorite places to spend a morning or afternoon. Bring the camera. Bring the family. Bring water. Bring bug spray. Yes, there are ticks and an assortment of bugs. It's a park. :) Just spray up before you go out. Stop by the nature center and say hi to the awesome staff and animals in there! read more

LOVE Cattus Island but do not head down to the trails during the summer unless you like being attacked by bugs.

Great state park to walk your dog or ride your bike great place to sit by the water and just relaxed and think about nothing what a peaceful place read more

I grew up near this park! Love it so much! It's a great place to take short trail walks and get lost in nature without the worries of getting lost lol. If you come in the summer/ spring/ or fall please be sure to wear off and check your self, your pets, and children for ticks. read more

Loved it! The red trail is on flat ground, winding through groves of blueberry bushes and then giving you a view of Barnegat Bay before returning to the visitor center. I was able to lay down on a bench for about an hour and just watch the ospreys and egrets fly by. It was a great day away from the blistering hot sand at the beach. read more

Looks nice. We went for the Pokemon Go stops and gyms but turn into the main road at 6:31. Then we passed the sign that said they close at 6:30. No problem, we'll go down and turn around. When we were on the road, a park vehicle just stopped on the road and wouldn't let us pass. I don't like driving on the grass (especially in parks!) but was forced to do so. We had to look something up so we went to the parking lot across the way. The Park guy got out and closed 1 of the gates (the other needed to be open because of the other visitors still in the park) and I told him it was rude the way he did it. He could have flagged us down and driven to the window. I asked what would have happened if I didn't see the sign. He sign that since I passed the sign I knew they closed at 6:30. I said there was no where to turn around so I was just going to leave when I got to the parking lot, but the way he did it was rude and there were other ways. He got in his car and left. He was very rude and I was just trying to say that there are other ways to inform people of the closing time. read more