OCEAN COUNTY PARKS Photo by Jenifer Rutherford
Ocean County Parks & Recreation now safeguards more than four thousand acres of land, which is dedicated to
the conservation of open space and the enjoyment of its citizens. This impressive acreage includes twenty parks,
four conservation areas, and two golf courses.
The county also sponsors events and programming for the general public year-round, including fishing
tournaments, yard sales, battle reenactments, the Annual Decoy and Gunning Show, golf tournaments and the
latest trend with Ocean County recreation, Yappy Hours, where owners and their dogs can socialize leash-free.
To find out more about the following Parks, call 877-OC PARKS or visit www.oceancountyparks.org.
Barnegat Branch Trail
877-627-2757
11 miles (15.6 miles upon completion)
The Barnegat Branch Trail (BBT) is a nearly 16-mile linear
“rail-to-trail” project that will extend from Barnegat Township
to Toms River Township. The public trail, which lies primarily
along the abandoned Barnegat Branch Division of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey and includes one mile of existing
trail and proposed road and sidewalk connections, will be
developed and constructed in several phases.
Guiding the design and management of the trail is the
“Conceptual Plan for the Barnegat Branch Trail,” which
was released in August 2007. In 2008, the BBT Plan was
given a Merit Award for Land Planning and Analysis by the
New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Landscape
Architects.
To date, Phases I to VII of the trail, totaling 11 miles (7.8
contiguous) in Barnegat, Ocean, Lacey and Berkeley
Townships, are complete and receiving high ridership.
28 www.sparkexploreocean.com
Included in these phases are several designated parking
areas, improved road crossings, landscaping, benches,
signage, mile markers and linkages to other trails and parks.
In May 2013 the County opened the Country Lane Trailhead
Facility in Waretown. The trailhead features bathrooms and
a display area that highlights the history of the railroad and
surrounding area. This trailhead facility is the first of several
planned comfort stations for the trail.
In 2014, Ocean County Parks Department acquired property
on Route 9, adjacent to the Forked River Middle Branch
and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge property for trailhead
development.
It is the County’s vision that the BBT will be more than
a recreational park; when complete, it will be a vital
transportation corridor, as well as a valuable environmental
and historical resource and an enormous asset to Ocean
County residents and visitors.
/www.oceancountyparks.org
/www.sparkexploreocean.com
