Island Beach State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Island Beach State Park |
|
|---|---|
Wetlands along Barnegat Bay near the southern end of Island Beach State Park
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Berkeley Township, New Jersey |
| Nearest city | Seaside Park, New Jersey |
| Area | 3,003 acres (1,215 ha) |
| Established | 1953 |
| Administered by | New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry |
Island Beach State Park is a fantastic state park in New Jersey, United States. It's located on the Barnegat Peninsula in Berkeley Township, Ocean County, just south of Seaside Park. This park is super special because it's the largest untouched barrier island in New Jersey, and one of the biggest in the entire United States! It's managed by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
Island Beach State Park is divided into different sections. The northern part, called the Island Beach Northern Natural Area, covers about 659 acres. Some of this area is protected and not open to the public. The Southern Natural Area is much larger, at about 1,237 acres. The park also includes the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone, which has about 1,600 acres of tidal marshes, creeks, ponds, and open water. It's a huge natural playground!
Contents
Discovering Island Beach State Park's Unique Nature
When you visit Island Beach State Park, you'll experience a journey from the ocean to the bay. First, you'll climb over a big sand dune covered in tall grasses. Then, you'll enter a narrow forest right by the sea, filled with bushes and short trees like holly and black cherry. As you get closer to the bay side, you'll find reeds and muddy areas. This estuary is home to cool creatures like blue crabs and herons, plus many other marine birds.
The park is an amazing spot for birdwatching. You can often see Osprey nests, and there are special places called bird blinds where you can watch birds without disturbing them. At the very southern tip of the park is the Barnegat Inlet, which separates the Barnegat Peninsula from Long Beach Island.
Plants and Trees of the Park
The plants and trees at Island Beach State Park are unique because they live so close to the ocean. They have to be tough to handle the salt and wind! Some of the trees you might see include Eastern Redcedar, Pitch Pine, American Holly, and Black Cherry. These trees often look a bit different from those inland. They might be shorter and have a "salt spray horizon" effect, where the side facing the ocean is trimmed short by the wind and salt. This often makes them look wedge-shaped.
The park also has many shrubs like Bayberry, Highbush blueberry, and Beach plum. Every September, the park celebrates these plants with an exciting Beach Plum Festival. It's a fun event with tours, special foods, music, and a great atmosphere! You can learn more about these plants at the nature center, which has a special display garden by a freshwater wetland.
Fun Activities at Island Beach State Park
Most people come to Island Beach State Park for its beautiful white sand beaches and ocean waters. It's a great change from the busy beaches with boardwalks you find nearby. The park has many miles of beach. Some of the northern parts have lifeguards, so you can swim safely.
You can also enjoy surfing, fishing, and kayaking in certain areas of the park. If you have a special permit, you can even drive your four-wheel-drive vehicle onto the southern part of the beach. There's also a boardwalk that goes from Barnegat Bay to the main road, making it easy for boaters to get to the beach. On the bay side, there's a spot called Tices shoal where many boaters gather and anchor their boats.
The Governor's Special Beach House
Since 1953, when New Jersey bought this land to create the park, there's been a special vacation home just for the Governor of New Jersey. It's a place where the governor can relax, in addition to their main home in Princeton. This house was built in the 1920s.
The house is built in the Cape Cod style and is very close to the beach, about 200 feet away. It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It's the only house so close to the ocean in the park. There are two other houses in the park on Barnegat Bay: one for the park superintendent and another for the governor's guests. Over the years, famous guests like Lady Bird Johnson and Joe Biden have stayed at this house.
New Jersey is one of only four states that has a state-owned vacation home for its governor.
Weather at Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, humid summers and mild winters. Even though summer days often have a cool sea breeze, it can sometimes get very hot and humid. The highest temperature recorded here was about 99.5°F. July is usually when the most thunderstorms happen, and August is often the wettest month.
In winter, it can get cold, but not usually freezing for long periods. The coldest temperature recorded was about -4.2°F. You might feel very cold if there's a strong wind, making it feel even colder. The park usually gets about 12 to 18 inches of snow each winter, with February being the snowiest month.
The Park's Natural Environment
The natural environment of Island Beach State Park is mostly made up of Cordgrass and Prairie plants that grow along the coast. The park is in a plant hardiness zone where the average coldest temperature is about 3.7°F. New leaves usually start to appear around March 23rd, and the fall colors are at their best in early November.
Images for kids
-
Wetlands along Barnegat Bay near the southern end of Island Beach State Park
-
Typical flora of Island Beach State Park, as seen along Shore Road, the main road through the park.
-
Bathing beach at Island Beach State Park on a sunny summer day
| To the North: Seaside Park |
Beaches of New Jersey | To the South Barnegat Light |
