New Jersey’s thousands of acres of state and national parks make it easy to enjoy the great outdoors. Visitors can explore parks, forests and recreation areas all year long in the Garden State.
New Jersey is blessed with hundreds of thousands of acres of state and national parks, forests and recreation areas enjoyed by visitors all year long. The National Park Service operates four national parks in New Jersey: Morristown National Historical Park, the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and The Great Falls of the Passaic River.
Morristown features a preserved area that was once occupied by Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The area was selected by Washington because of its logistical, geographical and topographical military advantages, in addition to its location to New York City, which was occupied by the British.
The Delaware Water Gap encompasses nearly 70,000 acres of breathtaking scenery along 40 miles of the Delaware River, which winds through the Appalachian Mountains. The park features waterfalls and many outdoor activities, including canoeing, hiking, camping, swimming, biking, cross-country skiing, fishing and more.
Nearly two million people a year visit Sandy Hook to enjoy the park’s 1,665 acres of ocean and bay beaches, fishing, hiking, natural areas, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and historic Fort Hancock.
New Jersey’s Newest National Historical Park is the Great Falls of the Passaic River. It is the second largest waterfall by volume, east of the Mississippi River, next to Niagara Falls and is centered in an industrial historic district, considered to be “The Cradle of American Industry.” In 1976, the 119-acre Great Falls park was designated as a National Historical Landmark District and was designated as a new National Historical Park (NHP).
In addition to New Jersey’s National Parks, the state’s Division of Parks and Forestry operates 28 state parks, 11 forests, 5 marinas and 36 historic sites that offer a wide variety of outdoor activities. Then there’s the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, an ideal location for camping, fishing, cycling and birding. For more NJ Division of Parks and Forestry information including, a complete list of parks, forests and historic sites, visit www.njparksandforests.org. For more National Park Service information visit www.nps.gov
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