Nature in South Jersey: More Than Just the Shore

Ask someone from outside New Jersey what they picture when they hear “South Jersey” and chances are they’ll think about the Shore. And, sure, having the Atlantic Ocean practically in our backyard is a pretty great perk. But head inland and South Jersey changes quickly.

There are pine forests that seem to stretch forever, tea-colored rivers, cranberry bogs, wildlife refuges, farms where you can pick your own fruit, lakes for swimming, and campsites ranging from comfortable family campgrounds to places you can only reach on foot or by canoe.

For a relatively small corner of the country, we pack a surprising amount of nature into it.

Start With the Pines

The centerpiece is Wharton State Forest, the largest single tract in New Jersey’s state park system. It encompasses more than 124,000 acres of the Pinelands and contains 77 miles of marked hiking trails, rivers for canoeing and kayaking, Atsion Lake for seasonal swimming, and historic Batsto Village.

If you want to really disappear for a while, Wharton also offers everything from developed campsites to primitive wilderness camping. The Mullica River Trail leads to a wilderness campground that isn’t accessible by motor vehicle, while Atsion offers a considerably easier introduction to the Pines with a beach, restrooms, showers, picnic areas and canoe and kayak rentals.

The region’s signature long-distance hike is the Batona Trail—short for “BAck TO NAture”—which connects Wharton, Brendan T. Byrne and Bass River state forests. It stretches roughly 50 miles through the Pinelands, although road crossings make it easy to tackle in much smaller sections.

For camping, Belleplain State Forest and Brendan T. Byrne State Forest are also worth putting on the list. Brendan Byrne alone has 82 tent and trailer sites, group camping, cabins and easy day-hike loops in addition to its connection to the Batona Trail.

Trade the Pines for Salt Marshes

South Jersey’s natural landscape changes dramatically as you approach the coast.

At Cape May Point State Park, trails cross wetlands, coastal dunes and sandy beach habitat. Cape May is also one of the great migration corridors along the Atlantic coast, making the area especially notable for birding and monarch-butterfly migration.

Farther north, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 48,000 acres of coastal habitat, most of it wetlands. Visitors can explore an eight-mile Wildlife Drive and several hiking trails while looking for shorebirds, waterfowl and other wildlife along the Atlantic Flyway.

And then, of course, there is the ocean itself. From Long Beach Island down through Brigantine, Atlantic City, Ocean City, the Wildwoods and Cape May, South Jersey offers miles of Atlantic coastline within driving distance of the farms and forests farther inland.

That combination is part of what makes living here unusual: you can hike through pitch pines in the morning and have your feet in the Atlantic that afternoon.

Go Straight to the Source

Nature in South Jersey is agricultural, too.

At Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford, pick-your-own crops change with the season, from blueberries and blackberries to peaches, pumpkins and flowers. The farm also operates a market, bakery and seasonal hayrides.

In Mullica Hill, Mood’s Farm Market offers another more traditional farm experience, with seasonal U-pick crops that can include cherries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, nectarines, blackberries, apples and pumpkins.

And those are just two examples. Drive the back roads through Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland and Atlantic counties and roadside farm markets are still very much part of the South Jersey landscape.

The Best Part? You Don’t Have to Pick One

South Jersey doesn’t have mountains or dramatic canyon overlooks. Its beauty is quieter.

It’s a sandy trail disappearing into pitch pines. A kayak cutting through cedar-colored water. Strawberries picked in June. Apple cider in October. Ospreys over the marsh. A campsite under a sky with considerably fewer lights than you’ll find closer to Philadelphia.

And then, less than an hour away, there’s the ocean.

For anyone who thinks South Jersey is just suburbs between Philadelphia and the Shore, it might be time to get outside.