New Jersey's Best Ocean Views

Stretching for 10 miles, Island Beach State Park is a narrow barrier island separating the Atlantic Ocean from Barnegat Bay. This 3,000-acre park preserves one of the last significant remnants of the barrier island ecosystem that once lined much of the New Jersey coast. Its landscape of coastal dunes has remained largely untouched since Henry Hudson sailed past in 1609. The park's history includes a planned exclusive summer resort by Henry Phipps, a partner of Andrew Carnegie, who purchased the land in 1926. The 1929 stock market crash halted these development plans, and the State of New Jersey purchased the 2,694-acre estate from Phipps' heirs in 1953 for $2.7 million, officially opening it to the public in 1959. This preserve is a sanctuary for a diverse range of wildlife and plant life, boasting over 400 identified plant species, including the largest stretches of beach heather in New Jersey. It is also home to the state's largest osprey colony and provides a crucial habitat for peregrine falcons, wading birds, and migrating songbirds. The federally threatened piping plover is also an occasional inhabitant of the park's beaches and dunes. Beyond the main swimming beach, which is staffed by lifeguards in the summer, the park offers a variety of recreational activities. These include surf fishing for species like striped bass and bluefish, kayaking in the Sedge Islands Marine Conservation Zone, and exploring eight different trails, each under a mile long, that wind through different parts of the island's beach and bay areas. Horseback riding is also permitted on the beach from October through April.