Your guide to exploring the Pine Barrens

We get this question a lot:

What are the Pine Barrens?

“That’s an important question,” says Russell Juelg, senior land steward for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, “because you have the expression Pine Barrens, and then you also have the expression Pinelands.”

Plainly, it’s a forestland. Spread across South Jersey, the Pine Barrens is a generous swath of wooded land, unblemished by sprawl, and championed as both a recreation dreamscape and a beacon of preservation.

And yes, it also has a branding issue.

Two names are used interchangeably to describe the area, but there’s an important difference.

The Pinelands refers to the parts of the territory that are protected by state and federal legislation. And it’s a healthy territory, stretching over 1.1 million acres, covering 22% of the state’s total land area, and spanning parts of seven counties.

The Pine Barrens, on the other hand, is an antiquated term. The early settlers called it barrens because their traditional field crops wouldn’t grow in the sandy and acidic soil. Despite pines, oaks, blueberries, and cranberries thriving, the name stuck. Today, it’s the preferred term of the locals, and it serves an ecological function, referring to the natural tapestry of forests and wetlands included within and beyond the government-protected territory.

“Little known, largely ignored, and quickly traveled by shore-bound motorists,” wrote Howard P. Boyd in his field guide to the Pine Barrens, which is often cited as a “bible” on the subject by the NJCF, “the mysterious barrens both attracts and repels.”

Conceptually, it’s a canvas. Generations of visitors and settlers have projected layers of intrigue onto its sensitive soil and cedar swamps.

Colorful folklore and ghost towns have motivated as many tourists to come out and trek the white-sand trails as the rare flora and tea-colored rivers.

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And they come for the Jersey Devil. Usually around campfires they hear tales of horrific encounters with the horned beast with a horse head, bat wings, and greenish-yellow eyes that glow in the inky night. The legend dates back more than two centuries, but can still draw a crowd.

So, what are the Pine Barrens?

“Atmosphere,” Juelg said. “When you’re in the Pine Barrens, you know you’re in a very distinctive kind of place.”

A vast open space can be a difficult thing to get your arms around, so the best way to define it for yourself is to experience it firsthand.

And for that aspirational outdoorsy set, here’s a guide to help make the most of your journey into New Jersey’s own Middle Earth.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you’re making preparations:

Reception is spotty in certain areas, depending on your carrier. Get yourself a physical map from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance visitor’s center in Southampton just in case. You can also buy one for $5 from their online store.

“The most dangerous creatures in the Pine Barrens are the ticks,” Juelg said. Among the maladies they can carry and cause: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Alpha-gal syndrome, which can spur a food allergy to red meat.

The mosquitoes are annoying, but the worst are the biting flies, which also carry diseases, and can become unbearable during the hottest months, like say, summertime.

It’s recommended people wear lightweight long pants and lightweight long sleeve shirts to prevent these bugs from eating your skin.

Anti-bug sprays can also help. You’ll also need sunblock, and snacks and water wouldn’t hurt.

Most of the paved roads are reasonably maintained, but the dirt roads can vary. Be wary of soft white sand, also known as sugar sand, which can get very thick and inhale your tires. And don’t drive through a puddle without first determining its depth. They can be sneaky deep.

And just a note about the people who live there, also known as “Pineys.”

Many of them have been rooted there for multiple generations, and they’re proud of their heritage, and protective of the landscape. While it is more or less nature’s theme park, please keep in mind that people live there.

» READ MORE: South Jersey man trying to reclaim the term ‘Piney’

“It is the most extensive wilderness tract along the middle-Atlantic seaboard, yet its borders lie 25 miles from Philadelphia and 35 miles from New York City,” Boyd wrote of the Pine Barrens.

The Pine Barrens extend as far north as Plumsted, and as far south as mid-Cape May County. The Garden State Parkway forms its eastern border, and parts of four municipalities form its western front, including parts of Mount Holly and Medford.

Which brings up another common question:

Where do you start?

The village of Chatsworth, in Woodland Township, Burlington County, is often cited as the “Capital of the Pines.” And a good spot to anchor your adventure.

It’s situated between four state forests: Brendan T. Byrne, Wharton, Bass River, and Penn State.

And from there you can go in a number of other directions.

The 50-mile-long Batona Trail, which derives its name from the phrase “BAck TO NAture,” stretches from Pemberton to Little Egg Harbor, and crosses through three state forests, a preserve, and a ghost town.

Nearly 21 miles of the mostly flat trail stretches through the Franklin Parker Preserve in Chatsworth, which starts around Chatsworth Lake and Route 532/Chatsworth-Tabernacle Road. Ribbons of sandy road pass through blueberry fields and ride along shallow lakes, and a few trails are open to bicyclists and horseback riders as well as hikers. The Red trail, a six-mile loop, features a variety of hills and flatland, and goes over a suspension bridge.

For a somewhat haunted hike, start at the northernmost point of the trail at the Pemberton ghost town of Ong’s Hat, a trail that some say leads to a mysterious portal that sends people to another dimension, and ends at the Deep Hollow Pond for a quick five-mile loop. The secluded trail crosses through the backwoods heart of the Pine Barrens, and it’s mostly a flat and easy workout. Just be careful.

The trails of the preserve, located in Evesham Township, begin in earnest on Kettle Run Road near Braddock Mill Road. Highlights include stellar bird-watching, beaver sightings, and storybook sunsets. None of the runs are super long individually, but add a few of them together, and it equals a delightful afternoon that’s not too taxing on the joints.

Kayaking and canoeing the Pine Barrens is like having a full-access backstage pass at the biggest show in town.

Pinelands Adventures, an initiative of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, offers various self-guided and guided tours, including on water trails on the Mullica and Batsto Rivers. They also offer boat rentals that start at $50.

The run on the Mullica River is an eight-mile stretch that is mostly flat and mild with only a few bumps along the way. The route is peppered with colorful flowers, beaver dams, and a few bridges to glide under. Enter at Lock’s Bridge and exit at Pleasant Mills.

Batsto River, a four-mile stretch between Quaker Bridge and the colonial village of Batsto, working through a dense wooded area, is a pretty trek through Wharton State Forest, with the river’s current doing most of the work. Just before reaching the village, the river opens into a marshy area and lake formed by a Batsto dam.

When fishing in freshwater areas of the Pine Barrens, anyone ages 16 and older needs a fishing license. You also need to follow the freshwater fishing regulations, which can be found here.

When fishing in saltwater areas of the Pinelands, you don’t need a license, but you do need to register and follow the regulations.

All game fish are edible, but there are precautions for mercury content in certain species, and there may be some specific areas where water pollutants may make it hazardous to eat the fish, so best to check the state website before heading out.

Bugs and weeds can make fishing in the summer tougher, but for those willing to brave the bites, there are a few options.

Atsion Lake is known for having a good population of pickerel, as well as catfish, and the lake has an on-site camping facility. Another option is Lake Lenape, which typically supplies black crappie and yellow perch.

It’s pretty flat land, so you don’t get a lot of high spots, but the highest point is Apple Pie Hill in Wharton State Forest, which you can find by following the Batona Trail from the Carranza Memorial. The fire tower offers the best view, where the green tops of pine trees lay out like a carpet and seemingly stretch on forever.

The Forked River Mountains, which can be accessed from Wells Mills County Park on Route 532, are not really mountains but sand and gravel hills that peak at 184 feet above sea level, but that’s high enough to give hikers a stellar view.

Nixon’s General Store, located at the intersection of Chatsworth Road (Route 532) and New Road, is a family business that has been in operation for more than 100 years in the small town of Tabernacle in Burlington County. They serve homemade jams and spreads, and their deli game is on point.

Lucille’s Luncheonette in Warren Grove, which opened in 1975, is beloved by locals and a destination spot for visitors. Anthony Bourdain visited the diner in 2015, and enjoyed a heaping meal of eggs, scrapple, chili, and pie.