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Canoeing in the Pine Barrens
A quiet stream meanders through a cedar swamp. A hush falls over the forest as you dip your paddle in the tannic colored water. Around the next bend, you may see a white sand dune topped with stunted pine trees, or a straightaway alley of water arched over with maples and cedars.
Along the shore are bright red ripened cranberries or even some blueberries that the birds missed. Where are you? Are you in some far away wilderness, many miles from any type of civilization? No, you’re paddling in the Pine Barrens, a unique section of New Jersey. Along the eastern edges, the pines and dunes merge into the coastal marshes of the Atlantic Ocean and within sight of the barrier islands.
The history of the Pine Barrens is long. There are many books that are available tracing the developement of civilization in the Pine Barrens. Two of them that are worth noting, for canoeist and kayakers, are Canoeing the Jersey Pine Barrens, by Robert Parnes,and Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey, by James and Margaret Cawley. These two books are the bibles of those who canoe and kayak the streams that weave through the Pine Barrens.
The Pine Barrens cover an extensive area of southern New Jersey. Eventhough it is considered an ecologically fragile area and large tracts are set aside as a State Park, there are many towns and developements scattered throughout the region. There are several New Jersey State Parks that provide overnight camping, with all the necessary camping amenities.
You can camp overnight, and go to the casinos of Atlantic City for a show and dinner. It is a short trip on the Garden State Parkway. There are also many local restaurants where you can enjoy a reasonably priced dinner, such as Allen’s in New Gretna. You provide your own beer
and they supply a terrific fresh fish dinner. The decor is plain and simple, but the prices are incredible. You will certainly find all the food you desire at any one of the local groceries and farm markets.
State Parks serving the Pine Barrens:
Wharton State Forest is the largest state owned tract of land in the New Jersey park system. Within Wharton State Park, lies Atsion Campsites, the Godfrey Bridge campsites and several wilderness campsites. The wilderness campsites consist of Bodine Field, Hawkins Bridge, Batona Campsite, Mullica River Wilderness Campsite and Goshen Pond. These sites all have water. Buttonwood Hill and Lower Forge sites have no water provided, you must carry your
own. The Mullica River Wilderness Campsite and the Lower Forge campsite are only accessible by hiking, canoeing or horseback.
The Bass River State Forest lies about 25 miles north of Atlantic City close to the
Garden State Parkway. You have a choice of many campsites, lean-tos, shelters with furnished living rooms, and woodburning stoves or cabins. This is a good camping area for accessing BelHaven Canoe Livery, and/or several
other liveries. It is also convenient, for setting up shuttles at the end of several trips, such as the
Oswego and the Wading River.
Lebanon State Forest is the more northern camping area and involves the longest drive to the liveries that service the Mullica, the Wading River, the Batsto, and the Oswego. However, it does provide access to shore points such as the Barnegat Light and the town of Barnegat, both of
which are lovely seashore areas. You can also paddle through the marshes around Barnegat.
These are the three main State Forest areas in the region around the Pine Barrens.
Streams:
While there are many canoeable streams throughout the Pine Barrens and surrounding area that you can enjoy, the most accessible to most canoeists, are the Mullica, the Batsto, the Wading and the Oswego. Each of these streams have their own characteristics that make canoeing them a different trip
each time. The basic characteristic of each of them is the winding back and forth through marshes, dunes, and forests. At the beginning of each trip, the winding back and forth is more intense because the streams are at their narrowest. The current can also be quite fast and can
necessitate some quick maneuvering to keep clear of banging into the banks, or getting caught against the usual stream debris of fallen trees and other strainers. The time of year and the amount of water in the streams can determines how fast the water moves. The upper part of the streams can be tricky.
As you paddle downstream, the rivers usually widen out because they get closer to their terminals. Oswego empties into Harrisville Pond. It is dammed and overflows into a stream that connects with the Wading River. The Mullica and the Wading River both empty into salt water bays. The Batsto terminates for paddlers usually at Batsto Lake.
For a good part of the paddle, most of the rivers are relatively shallow in normal water conditions. However, you should realize that this varies and the current can be stronger that you realize. The lakes that are connected to trips on the Oswego (Harrisville Pond and Martha Pond)
and Batsto Lake are shallow and tough to paddle in, because of wind. Coming at the end of a long paddle does not help matters, either.
There are numerous places to stop and picnic. If the weather is nice enough, you can go for a swim or tan on a white sand beach. Be warned, however, that alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited. The park police are always on the look-out. They will ask you to open coolers to check for beverages.
Liveries:
There are several liveries that service the area. A livery service will bring you and your boats to the put-in and arrange to meet you at specific times and places. They usually know the average time involved for your trip. Depending on the amount of people, they will be there to meet you promptly. The drivers are also a good source of information on the conditions of the streams. Weekends are always crowded. Be warned that you may have to navigate around inexperienced canoeists that are sideways in the streams. There are always party-people on weekends with the
usual noise. If you can do the trips during the week, it is usually much less crowded and quieter.
Different liveries generally service different streams. You want to pick a livery service as close as possible to the put-in and take-out as you can; they will have to drive you there and drive you back to your car. One advantage to using the liveries is that they provide a safer place to
leave your car than at the take-outs or put-ins. Your car can be broken into relatively easily, since these spots are generally out of public sight.
BelHaven, Mick’s, Adam’s and Pine Barren Canoe Rentals service most of the area. Their may be others, but these are the main ones. You can rent equipement at these places.
As you return home to the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan areas, you will carry a piece of
the quiet and stillness that make the Pine Barrens a premiere place to paddle. You may have met new friends, as you paddled down any of the streams and stopped to picnic along the way. The nights spent around a campfire, with the stars high in the sky, will linger in your memory for a
long time and you will find yourself desiring to come back again and paddle the Pine Barrens.
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