February is Black History Month.  This event began as Negro History Week in 1926, created by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and soon spread around the country via community organizations.  By the late 1960s, fueled by the Civil Rights Movement, this had grown into a full month of events in many areas by the 1960s.  In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized for the national government Black History Month, stating the purpose was to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

In schools and communities across the country, we take this [...]

Maybe you have a stroller.  Maybe you are out with someone in a wheelchair or who has trouble getting around.  Maybe it’s been raining for days and everything is gross out.  Maybe you just don’t want to deal with “the wilderness” today.  Guess hiking is just out.

Of course not!  There are some lovely PAVED and CRUSHED gravel trails in South Jersey that are easy to navigate and are just waiting to be explored.  Here are some of our favorites!

Click on the name of the trail or park for our full review of that park, including driving address, GPS coordinates, parking, bathrooms, trail maps, etc

Haddon Lake Park and [...]

Atsion Family Campground Wharton State Forest Shamong, NJ

Address: Atsion Road, Shamong, NJ 08088 Coordinates: 39°44’45.37″N, 74°44’38.22″W

Directions: On Atsion Road, turn onto the dirt road with the sign for Atsion Family Campground.  Drive down and the campsites will be in two loops on either side.

Access: Dirt road, but accessible by pretty much any vehicle.

Website for official info: http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html

Website for campsite booking and pricing: www.camping.nj.gov

Rules:

Campground Map:

Camped here earlier this month, which FINALLY completes [...]

The Woods at New Gretna/Jersey Shore Live Steam Organization – New Gretna (Bass River Twp), Burlington County, NJ Distance – about 4 miles total (came from an article in the Pine Barrens Tribune), we did 1.2 miles around most of the perimeter. Type – Connected loops Difficulty:  1 of 10

Website – Facebook page (good to check, as they post whether the railroad will be open on any given Saturday) Open – Park is open sunrise to sunset.  Train seems to open on Saturdays in good weather, check out their Facebook to find out if they’ll have volunteers there on a particular Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM.

Terrain – Woods Surface – [...]