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.

Washington Tpke is one of the major utility roads on the south side of the New Jersey Wharton State Forest. The road begins near the Batsto Visitor's center as pavement but quickly turns to a sandy gravel road. The road is wide and serves as a fire break through the forest. Near the road's east end, Washington Tpke passes by the Godfrey Bridge Campground. Camping requires a permit from the visitor's center and is just $5.00 nightly for out-of-staters. The campsites are relatively close together, and each has a fire ring. There is an outhouse in the campground. Many of the other more rugged roads emanate from the Washington Tpke.

Tuckerton Road is one of the primary roads you will use to explore Wharton State Forest. Not only does it offer plenty to see in terms of a forest, but it also gives you that "two-track" remote feeling. It connects to many other roads you may want to explore. The road is a sandy dirt surface with a couple of standing water holes that can be deeper and muddier after rain. Dispersed camping is not allowed, but designated camping can be found in the rustic campgrounds within the Wharton State Forest. Reservations are required.

Mullica Road is a sandy, single-vehicle wide road that generally follows the Mullica River in the Wharton State Forest in New Jersey. The road can be tight in spots as it weaves through the trees. Several trees showed evidence of vehicles striking them in the recent past. Large pickups might struggle on this route to get through some of these trees. The road comes out onto the pavement at County Road 542 near Batsto, NJ. Dispersed camping is not allowed in the Wharton State Forest.

If you are looking for a nice Sunday drive out in the New Jersey Pine Barrens and want to explore a bit of the area's history, make sure to put Hampton Road on your shortlist. The history of this area is evident with old structures and even parts of the old Hampton Furnace, which you will drive right past. The Hampton Furnace was used for smelting bog iron found in nearby swamps and bogs. A few water crossings and proximity to lakes and streams will make this quite an enjoyable day out on the trail.

If you like tight trees, muddy water crossings, and whoop-de-doos, make sure you get out and explore Stokes Road. This trail has enormous portions of sandy whoop-de-doos, which seem to go on for miles at a time. There are also a few fun yet mandatory water crossings that will require driver experience to navigate safely. Traveling on this road with a winch and/or another vehicle is highly advised. Make sure to stop along the beach area near the southern end of this road to enjoy the sand and sunshine along a bend of the Batsto River.

Connecting Washington Quaker Bridge Road to Tuckerton Road, Quaker Bridge Sandy Ridge passes through dense forest with plenty of whoops in the road that to test your springs and shocks. Dispersed camping is not allowed, but designated camping can be found in the rustic campgrounds within the Wharton State Forest. Reservations are required.

The trail is named after the Mexican aviation pioneer Emilio Carranza who crashed on July 12, 1928, while attempting to fly his Ryan Brougham airplane, the Mexico Excelsior, non-stop from New York to Mexico City on the final leg of a historic goodwill flight to the United States. You can find the monument just shortly after the road turns to pavement. The road is wide and well-cared for and starts directly where Maxwell Friendship Road ends at the ghost town of Friendship. Dispersed camping is not allowed, but designated camping can be found in the rustic campgrounds within the Wharton State Forest. Reservations are required.

Certain base maps will show this road's first portion as "Lower Forge." However, you cannot drive all of Lower Forge due to a wilderness boundary, so we have included the driveable part as Bulldozed Road. It starts at the eastern edge of the Batsto River lies Bulldozed Road. This road contains a few large portions of sand and mandatory water crossings. Use this trail to connect Quaker Bridge to the northern part of the Pine Barrens.

Penn Swamp is one of the many roads within the Wharton State Forest that travels through a pitch pine forest with an open floor. The road is a mix of hardpacked dirt and sand. It connects Washington Turnpike with Washington Quaker Bridge Road. From its start on Washington Turnpike, it terminates near Penn Swamp. Dispersed camping is not allowed, but designated camping can be found in the rustic campgrounds within the Wharton State Forest. Reservations are required.

Friendship Speedwell Road is a short sandy gravel trail in the New Jersey Wharton State Forest. The road is level and easily traveled. It is generally used to exit or enter the Wharton State Forest. It goes between the ghost town of Friendship, NJ, and Speedwell, NJ. The road ends at County Road #563.

Starting from the southern end, your vehicle will endure deep pinstripes. Starting from the northern end, you will end up in a more open floor forested area that provides good locations for pulling over and having lunch or taking an afternoon nap. No matter which way you drive it, the road will provide plenty of the whoops and allow you to explore the limitations of your shocks and springs. Dispersed camping is not permitted, but designated camping can be found in the rustic campgrounds within the Wharton National Forest. Reservations are required.

This is a single-vehicle-wide road inside the New Jersey Wharton State Forest. The road is not very long, but it contains nearly a dozen water-mud bogs along the way. During the dry summer months, the water in each of the bogs is about 12" deep. A few of them can get a bit deeper during wet or rainy times. Many of the bogs have a soft muddy bottom, and you might want to be in 4WD to help prevent you from getting stuck. There are no campsites along the trail.