Barnegat Branch Trail:
New Jersey
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Description:
The Barnegat Branch Trail, a rail-trail, will eventually travel 15.6 miles from Barnegat Township to Toms River Township. As of summer 2011, 5.1 miles of the trail have been completed, in two separate segments. The southern segment runs between Barnegat and Waretown, while the newly completed northern segment runs between Maryland Avenue in Berkeley and Glen Cedars Park, on the town's south side.

The Barnegat Branch Trail primarily occupies a portion of the abandoned Barnegat Branch Division of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The Barnegat trailhead at Burr Street has parking, outdoor seating areas and water fountains, as well as restrooms, a public meeting space and other amenities.

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Parking & Trail Access:
To access the southern segment in Barnegat from the Garden State Parkway, take the Wells Mill Road Exit (NJ Route 532). Proceed east to US Route 9. Turn right and proceed south to Burr Street. Turn right to the trailhead.

To access the northern segment in Berkeley, parking is available along Railroad Avenue just south of the intersection with Maryland Avenue. At the Glen Cedars end, you park just south of Cedar Place.

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Reviews: [1 trail ratings]
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Lovely Fall Walk
By lynda48 in November, 2011
We walked this trail last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very well maintained with lovely fall foliage. Its a nice easy trail to walk and bike. There are a few historic sites noted on the walk and tree identification. It would be great to have a port-a-potty somewhere along the trail. We entered at Barnegat trailhead and walked to Waretown and back. Only one picnic table on trail and that is very near Waretown. There are benches along the trail if you need to rest. The trail is not crowded and bikers or walkers looking for an easy trail will enjoy it.
New Information
By Mark Collins in November, 2010
Greetings:

My previous post to this page had not been published, perhaps due to reporting disappointing information about the political climate in Lacey Twp. toward completion of this trail.


Well today I have some good news! While driving through Bayville/ Berkley Twp., NJ I saw crews at work paving the old railroad right of way including a very nice and safe road crossing at the Central Parkway crossing.

I went to Asbury Park Press ( app.com ) and behold archived was a report on funding of this improvment.

As reported in my previous post, the trail in Beachwood is protected and improved, Beachwood and Bayville adjoin each other so the prospect of a nice trail through two towns appears good.


In Lacey Township. prospects for completing the trail are more gloomy. The Right-of Way is un-obstructed but the sandy soils of the Pine Barrens make biking this stretch an iffy proposition.

Lacey Twp. still seeks to make a roadway out of the trail, Lacey owns the R.O.W.
Trail completed to Wells Mills Rd
By wisewoman in July, 2009
The trail runs from Burr Street to Wells Mills and totals just over 3 miles. It's fairly level, mostly shaded, cooler than running or biking out in the sun. It's not worth driving very far to get to yet. Once it's complete to Toms River it will be a great long scenic ride. At the moment it's a pleasant local trail that's a welcome option from running/biking by the roadside. There's parking at each end, and it's never super crowded.
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