• New Jersey is home to some amazing state parks.New York New Jersey Skyline image by Gary from Fotolia.com
  
  New Jersey earns its nickname of the Garden State with its plentiful state parks that preserve its natural beauty. Long Beach island is home to three parks that highlight the area's marine and forest landscape and include everything from a historic lighthouse and underwater kelp forest to a preserved cranberry bog and cedar mill town.
  
  

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park

• Barnegat Lighthouse State Park is situated on the northern tip of Long Beach Island in Ocean County, New Jersey. Ships traveling to and from New York relied on this historic lighthouse to guide their way. Now, that lighthouse is preserved as part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. With plenty of trails, fishing, birdwatching and an interpretive center near the light house, this state park has plenty to offer visitors on its 32-acre property.
  
  Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
  
  PO Box 167
  
  Barnegat Light, NJ 08006
  
  609-494-2016
  
  state.nj.us
  
  

Island Beach State Park

• Located on Long Island in Ocean County, Island Beach State Park is a protected barrier island housing a variety of natural shoreline and near-shore habitats. With 10 miles of sandy beach rimming Barnegat Bay, this State Park is home to underwater kelp forests, tidal marshland, foxes and osprey and more than 400 species of plants. It's a sightseer's dream and is situated just a short drive from the boardwalks and beaches of Seaside Heights off the south end of Route 35.
  
  Island Beach State Park
  
  PO Box 37
  
  Seaside Park, NJ 08752
  
  732-793-0506
  
  state.nj.us
  
  

Double Trouble State Park

• With a name like Double Trouble, this state park located in Ocean County, New Jersey offers guests insight into the cranberry harvesting industry. With cranberry bogs, as well as cedar logging mills on site, visitors can learn how cranberries are grown and harvested and can get a glimpse at the Pine Barrens logging industry. Double Trouble historic village is nestled within nearly 200 acres of cedar forest and contains two completely isolated and self-sufficient communities. Purchased by the State of New Jersey in 1964, the Double Trouble Historic District was placed on the State Register of Historic Places in 1977.
  
  Double Trouble State Park
  
  PO Box 175
  
  Bayville, NJ 08721
  
  732-341-6662
  
  state.nj.us