New Jersey Trails

Folklore, ghost towns, and reports of a creature called the Jersey Devil are all part of the region known as the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The story of this road is a little more angelic. The Quakers, also referred to as the "Society of Friends," were known to travel through the Pine Barrens. The road name is appropriate as the Quakers followed this trail. As you slowly drive through or camp in this forested area of the most populated part of the country, you can take in the history and ponder the stories from days ago. Who knows, maybe you will report the next sighting of the Jersey Devil.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is rich in history, going back 10,000 years. In the 1700s, the area was settled by Europeans who found iron ore in the bogs and were the first to build iron furnaces in North America. While the iron works flourished during the American Revolutionary War, other industries, such as agriculture, formed in later years. This trail is the home of the Friendship ghost town that was the heart and soul of a 3,000-acre cranberry farm. Friendship was formed in 1869. Today only foundations remain. The road to the ghost town is full of the beauty that the Pine Barrens are known for; pine trees, cranberry bogs, swamps, and sandy roads.