New Jersey State Parks Guide
By: Lauren Melville
With a stunning collection of over 40 state parks and 11 state forests, the Garden State truly lives up to its name, inviting residents from every county to step outside and explore. Whether you want to bird watch with your toes in the sand at Island Beach State Park, conquer the Monument Trail at High Point for soaring tri-state views, or escape the city bustle to enjoy the Manhattan skyline from a distance at Liberty State Park, there is an outside adventure calling your name.
If you’re a history buff, set your sights on Fort Mott State Park in Pennsville to wander through its fascinating Civil Warera coastal defenses and gun batteries. Or, head to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park to meet ‘Old Barney,’ the iconic lighthouse that once guided sailors and kept a watchful eye during wartime.
Find an artifact along a trail? It’s most likely a part of the state’s vast history. According to the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, visitors can come across Revolutionary War battlegrounds to 19th-century industrial and agricultural life.
A notable historic spot, nestled in the center of the state, brings park visitors back in time to 19th-century agricultural life. Spanning over 70 miles, the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park offers a flat, continuous path for walking, bike riding, running, and a dose of history.
“The extensive network of trails and its waterway creates a seamless experience for walkers, cyclists, and paddlers, allowing for everything from short outings to long connected journeys. Beyond recreation, the park also plays an important role in sustainable transportation. Many of its trail segments link directly to suburban and urban centers, giving commuters a safe, scenic and environmentally friendly option for traveling to a diversity of destinations by bike or on foot,” said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Senior Press Officer Caryn Shinske.
Once used as a thoroughfare for mule-drawn canal boats traveling between New York City and Philadelphia, now used for recreation by nature lovers, according to NJ DEP.
“With its 19th-century bridge and lock tender houses, remnants of lift locks, cobblestone spillways, aqueducts, and handbuilt stone-arched culverts, the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park is a tremendous attraction for history lovers,” said Shinske.
New State Park Looks to Join the List
What once was a rail line transporting ice from New Jersey’s lakes to Jersey City and New York City, now is being transformed into a nine-mile destination for transportation and recreation. The “nine-mile greenway,” as it’s being referred to until New Jerseyans cast their vote on their favorite name, is officially under construction.
Spanning across nine miles from Montclair to Jersey City, this linear park’s goal is to provide residents and visitors with an outdoor recreation haven, alternate transit access, and community. Once complete, the linear park will connect eight municipalities across Hudson and Essex counties—Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearny, Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Montclair. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection acquired the rail property from Norfolk Southern in 2022 with Phase one of the project kicking off in Newark in July 2025, the city’s one-mile stretch, according to NJ DEP.
“The push from local advocates, leaders, and elected officials really gave this project the momentum it needed,” said Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill. Being involved in the green-way project for over 15 years, Gill thought the newest addition to New Jersey’s state parks would never happen. “In its early stages, this project was supported by community members in Essex and Hudson County who held meetings to highlight the greenway’s economic and environmental benefits,” said Gill.
The greenway will connect communities like never before. “Interconnectivity of communities along the trail is a feature residents can look forward to. Many residents can be in Newark and never visit Montclair, this project will bring communities together through passive recreation, people wanting to commute to local communities. Whether passive, walking, running, potential intermodal transportation, many different options are still being explored,” said Gill.
He imagines New Jersey’s answer to New York City’s High Line as an essential, everyday hub for the towns it connects, “maybe someone who wants to commute into Manhattan on their bike can do that or a high school holds their cross country meet,” said Gill.
New Jersey State Park Breakdown
1. Allaire State Park
2. Allamuchy Mountain State Park
3. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
4. Cape May Point State Park
5. Cheesequake State Park
6. Corson’s Inlet State Park
7. Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park
8. Double Trouble State Park
9. Farny State Park
10. Fort Mott State Park
11. Hacklebarney State Park
12. High Point State Park
13. Hopatcong State Park
14. Island Beach State Park
15. Kittatinny Valley State Park 16. Liberty State Park
17. Long Pond Ironworks State Park
18. Monmouth Battlefield State Park
19. North Brigantine Natural Area
20. Parvin State Park
21. Pigeon Swamp State Park
22. Princeton Battlefield State Park
23. Rancocas State Park
24. Ringwood State Park
25. Six Mile Run Reservoir Site 26. Stephens State Park
27. Stow Creek State Park
28. Swartswood State Park
29. Tall Pines State Preserve
30. Voorhees State Park
31. Washington Crossing State Park
32. Washington Rock State Park
33. Wawayanda State Park