I’m spending my 50th birthday (mid-September) in the Pine Barrens area of New Jersey! I’ve been looking around at different parks, but I want to hear from YOU. Have you been? What did you think was a can’t miss opportunity? What do you think was overrated? What’s a great trail to hike if you have a bum knee? (bonus points if you remember seeing mushrooms on said trail because we study those).
I love that area! Years ago we used to camp near Wharton State Forest. We did a little bit of hiking, but we’d mostly go to paddle on the Batsto and Mullica Rivers. Its fairly slow moving water, but very scenic and calm. There are plenty of places to pull ashore to have a snack or a swim. The color of the water is other-worldly, the cedars stain it red so its hard to see too far below, but its a nice sandy bottom. I remember freaking out a bit in a swimming hole because something was tugging at the ties of my bathing suit; I still wonder what it was. I’m sure nothing too scary. Not like the Jersey Devil or anything 
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Yea, watch out for the Jersey Devil. You can check out the Blue hole in the Winslow wildlife area, Marthas furnace, the area around Batsto, or the Harrisville ghost town.
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