Cattus Island County Park
Directions
Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 82 [Route 37, Seaside] and continue east on NJ 37 for six miles. Use the jughandle to turn north onto Fisher Boulevard, and proceed for two miles to Cattus Island Boulevard, which leads to the park entrance.
Cooper Environmental Center, 1170 Cattus Island Rd, Toms River, NJ 08753 -- GPS Coordinates: 39.982718, -74.127991
Park Overview
Cattus Island County Park is referred to as an “island” because the area is surrounded by salt marshes. It has seven miles of blazed hiking trails, a boardwalk, unpaved roads, and an environmental center.
Trail Overview
Four distinct loop trails [ranging from 0.7 to 2.2 miles], plus a quarter-mile wheelchair accessible loop trail, are spread throughout the park. Other marked trails provide shortcuts, and the four miles of dirt fire roads that wander through wetland and wooded areas serve to connect them to form a network. The marked trails are for hiking only. Sections of boardwalk thread through the marshes, allowing walkers a close look at the complex life in the otherwise inaccessible wetland habitat.
Use the Web Map link on this site for a trail map by Cattus Island County Park.
Park Description
This Ocean County Park, north of Toms River, was funded in part by New Jersey’s Green Acres program. Seventy percent of the park consists of salt marshes, with some lowland and upland forests and a stand of the once-common Atlantic white cedar. Central to the park is the Cooper Environmental Center, where visitors may see natural science exhibits and live animals, register for a variety of nature programs, or obtain a trail map and wander on their own.
The Cooper Environmental Center was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, was closed to the public, but has been renovated and reopened. Use Contact Information for a telephone number to call or view the park's web site.