Visiting New Jersey's Island Beach State Park will take you back to how the coastline must have looked before the boardwalk, hotels and condos and commerce pretty much took over the rest of the shore.
The 3,000-acre park, which is situated on a barrier island just north of Long Beach Island, offers some 10 miles of pristine beaches, as well as freshwater wetlands, maritime forest and tidal marshes. You'll be sharing the dunes with the state's biggest colony of ospreys, along with peregrine falcons and a wide variety of shorebirds, ducks and other water fowl and migrating songbirds, as well as more than 400 tagged plants.
On summer weekends, plan to arrive by 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m. to secure your spot, as the park limits the number of cars that can enter at any given time. You won't have to rough it too much –– the park offers a snack bar and bathhouse –– and is a short drive from the honky tonk pleasures of the Seaside Heights and Seaside Park boardwalks.
Here are five other parks to enjoy a less, commercialized experience at the beach:
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
The Barnegat Lighthouse, aka “Old Barney,” anchors this sliver of a park that stretches across the northern tip of Long Beach Island. You can climb the 217 steps to the top of the lighthouse, which was active from 1859 through 1944 and provided crucial guidance for ships on their way to and from New York. You can also stroll, fish and bird watch along a series of boardwalks constructed over a jetty.
Cape May Point State Park
The Cape May lighthouse, which also dates to 1859, is one of the big draws for this park situated at the tip of the southern shore. You can take the 199 steps to the top, which is an especially vivid experience during the full-moon climbs organized by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. The park also features one of the area's best vantage points for observing the fall migration of hawks and monarch butterflies.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
For birds –– and their watchers –– this refuge represents an important way station for songbirds, raptors and woodcock during the fall migration. The refuge helps to support some 317 bird species, more than 40 types of mammals, nearly three dozen reptiles and amphibians, as well as many types of fish and shellfish.
Corson's Inlet State Park
Tucked away along the Ocean Drive route between Ocean City, N.J., and Strathmere/Sea Isle City, this park offers plenty of benefits for wildlife and humans. One of the few undeveloped oceanfront parcels on this part of the shore, the 341-acre park helps provide a home for hundreds of species on land and sea -– for example, it's a protected nesting area for the endangered Piping Plover, Least Tern and black skimmers. Meanwhile, the human species gets to use the park for a range of recreational uses, from fishing, crabbing and boating to hiking and plain old relaxing.
Delaware's Cape Henlopen, Seashore State Park
Although a little farther afield, Delaware's two state coastal parks are still close enough for a day trip. Cape Henlopen, which is located about two hours south of Philadelphia in Lewes, features a range of amenities, including a beach with a lifeguard, modern bathhouse and wheelchair accessibility; a surf fishing beach where dogs are allowed; a World War II-era observation tower with panoramic views from the top; and several miles of trails for hiking and biking within the park.
Meanwhile, the Delaware Seashore Park, situated just a little farther south in Rehoboth Beach, boasts six miles of shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean, Rehoboth Bay and the Indian River Bay. This park offers two swimming beaches with lifeguards, bathhouses, and wheelchair accessibility, as well as areas for fishing, surfing and sailboarding.