Pinelands National Reserve

The New Jersey Pinelands, or Pine Barrens, is the largest area of open space in the northeastern United States — more than one million acres of Atlantic white-cedar swamps, dwarf pine plains, sandy pine-oak forest, crystal-clear tea-colored rivers, carnivorous plant bogs and globally rare plant communities in the heart of the most densely populated state in the US, a startling and irreplaceable wilderness amid the sprawl of the Northeast megalopolis.

The Pine Barrens are one of the most ecologically unusual landscapes in North America — underlain by the vast Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer (17 trillion gallons of extraordinarily pure water), home to the rare and globally significant Outer Coastal Plain plant communities, the endangered northern pine snake, and more than 850 plant species. The Batsto Village historic site, the Mullica River and the pygmy pine plains are iconic landmarks. The Pinelands National Reserve is a treasured ecological and cultural icon of New Jersey.

The Pinelands offer canoeing and kayaking the crystal-clear rivers (the Mullica, Wading, Batsto and Oswego Rivers are the finest canoe runs in New Jersey, with tea-colored water, white-cedar swamps and sandy shores), hiking the Batona Trail (a 53-mile trail through the heart of the Pines), visiting Batsto Village (a restored 19th-century iron furnace and glass-works village in the Wharton State Forest, with fascinating history), swimming at Atsion Lake and other river access points (the Pine Barrens rivers are exceptionally clean for swimming), birding (the pine plains and cedar swamps have distinctive specialist species), and photography of the otherworldly pygmy pine plains. Paddling the rivers and the Batona Trail are the signature draws.

Spring (April through June) brings the pink-flowering orchids and wild azaleas, the most comfortable temperatures for hiking, and the pine rivers at their most inviting. Fall (September through November) offers cool hiking temperatures and fall color in the swamps. Summer brings hot weather but the rivers (cool and clear) offer excellent swimming. Winter is peaceful and uncrowded, with the cedar swamps at their most atmospheric. Spring for the orchids and river paddling, and fall for hiking and color, are the highlights — paddle the Wading River in May for the orchid season.

The Pine Barrens were home to the Lenape people and were the site of intensive colonial industry — iron furnaces (bog iron from the swamps fueled the iron industry that supplied Colonial and Revolutionary War munitions), glassworks and charcoal-burning defined 18th and 19th-century life. The furnaces and glassworks collapsed with the rise of Pennsylvania anthracite iron in the mid-1800s, leaving the forest to recover. The isolated forest communities developed the distinctive ‘Piney’ culture and the folk legends (including the Jersey Devil). Pinelands National Reserve was established in 1978 — the first national reserve in the US — to protect the unique ecological and cultural landscape.

The New Jersey Pinelands are underlain by the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer — a vast, unconfined aquifer of extraordinarily pure water held in the highly porous, sandy coastal plain deposits of the Kirkwood and Cohansey formations (Miocene-age marine and fluvial sands and gravels). The sandy soil is nutrient-poor, acidic and well-drained, creating the fire-maintained pine-oak forest and the wet, acidic bog communities. The tea-colored river water gets its color from dissolved tannins leaching from the cedar and peat. The poor sandy soil, the acidic bog chemistry and the vast aquifer created the unique Pinelands ecology.

The New Jersey Pinelands protect the last large populations of the northern pine snake (a rare, burrowing constrictor that requires sandy soil), the Pine Barrens tree frog (a tiny, jewel-green frog found only in the Pinelands and a few other Atlantic coastal-plain localities — a global rarity), bog asphodel, sundews, pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants, rare orchids, the red-headed woodpecker and other pine-oak forest specialists. The cedar swamps support barred owls, wood ducks and a distinctive bird community. The Pinelands represent one of the most ecologically distinctive faunal and floral communities in the eastern US.

The Pinelands National Reserve protects one of the most ecologically distinctive and globally significant coastal-plain ecosystems in North America — a fire-maintained pine-oak forest, globally rare Atlantic white-cedar swamps, Outer Coastal Plain plant communities found in few places on earth, and the vast Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer of extraordinarily pure water. Prescribed fire is essential to maintaining the open pine-oak forest and preventing succession to dense hardwood. The Pine Barrens are surrounded by one of the most urbanized and industrialized regions in America; protecting this vast open-space buffer is an ongoing conservation challenge and priority.

The New Jersey Pinelands hold a treasured place among the ecological icons of the eastern United States — the largest open space in the Northeast, a million-acre national reserve of pine forest, cedar swamps and crystal rivers in the heart of the most densely populated state, home to the legendary Jersey Devil, the Piney culture and the extraordinarily pure Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer. The contrast between the Pinelands wilderness and the surrounding Northeast megalopolis is one of the most dramatic in America. The Pinelands are a cherished natural icon of New Jersey.

The Pinelands National Reserve occupies much of southern New Jersey, roughly bounded by the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 195, U.S. Highway 9 and the Delaware River. The Wharton State Forest (the largest state forest, with Batsto Village, Atsion Lake, and river access) is the primary public access point; the Batsto Visitor Center off Route 542 is the best starting point. The Mullica and Wading Rivers have canoe access points at several state forest areas. The cities of Atlantic City, Camden and Trenton bound the reserve. Check NJ State Parks (Wharton, Bass River, and other Pinelands state forests) for current access, camping reservations and conditions before visiting.

The Pinelands Commission and NJ State Parks manage the Pinelands National Reserve. The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer — the foundation of the ecosystem and the water supply for thousands of New Jersey residents — is vulnerable to contamination; visitors help by protecting the ground-water quality (no waste, no pollution) and supporting growth restrictions within the reserve boundary. Protecting the fire management program (prescribed burns maintain the open pine forest), the bog communities, the rare plants and animals, and the aquifer sustains this irreplaceable ecosystem. The NJ Conservation Foundation and other land trusts are active partners.

The Pinelands are an easy day-trip from the New York and Philadelphia metro areas; the main cautions are getting lost in the forest (the sandy roads are unmarked and numerous — carry a map or GPS), ticks (lyme disease is endemic in the Pinelands — check thoroughly after any time outdoors), and watching for timber rattlesnakes and northern copperheads in the forest (rare but present). The rivers are popular for canoeing; check flow levels before paddling (some rivers run low in dry summers). Carry insect repellent, check for ticks, and carry a map in the interior forest.

Most Pinelands access is free; Wharton State Forest campgrounds and Atsion Lake have fees. Camping outside designated state-forest campgrounds is generally prohibited. Hunting and fishing require NJ licenses. Do not remove plants (especially the orchids, carnivorous plants and other rare species — many are protected). Off-road vehicle use is restricted to designated areas. Stay on marked trails in sensitive bog areas. Check NJ State Parks and the Pinelands Commission for current access, camping rules and regulations before visiting.

Batsto Village in Wharton State Forest (the restored 19th-century iron furnace and glassworks village — a fascinating and photogenic piece of Pinelands history), Atsion Lake (for swimming and camping), the city of Atlantic City (on the Pinelands eastern edge), the town of Medford (with excellent Pinelands access), and the full southern New Jersey coastal plain define the region. The Pinelands and the Jersey Shore coast together anchor the outdoor experience of southern New Jersey. Batsto Village and a Mullica River paddle make the perfect Pinelands day.

Paddle the Mullica River above Batsto Village for one of the finest canoe experiences in the mid-Atlantic — the tea-colored water flowing through the white-cedar swamps, the white sand banks and the extraordinary quietude are entirely unlike any other canoeing in the region. Visit in late May for the Pine Barrens orchids blooming in the wet bogs along the Batona Trail. Check for ticks immediately after any Pinelands outing (use a full-body tick check), carry a printed topo map or a downloaded offline map (cell service is spotty in the Pines), and stop at Batsto Village to understand the fascinating colonial-industrial history of the forest.