New Jersey has some hidden gems for your postcard-perfect vacation
When you think of New Jersey, you think of postcards. For decades, visitors have felt compelled to buy cards featuring the state’s rich history, majestic cityscapes, and scenic natural destinations, either to send back to family in the mail or keep as souvenirs. Traditionally, these have been “Greetings from” the famous coastal regions, the boardwalks, beaches, and highways of Hoboken, Atlantic City, or Asbury Park. But if venture further into the Garden State, you’ll find there’s a lot more to write home about.
New Jersey earns its nickname with lush, natural beauty, including secluded beaches, thick forests, placid lakes, and grand mountains. There’s also a vibrant tapestry of history and a vast array of art, cuisine, and culture.
In short, there are sides to New Jersey that you’ve never seen. We’ve unearthed some of the state’s hidden gems so that, no matter what your area of interest, your next visit will be postcard perfect.
Most people don’t think of New Jersey as a realm of outdoor adventure, much less a place for majestic mountains. But High Point State Park, just outside of Sussex, is a wonderland of trails for hikers of all skill level, with plenty of quiet spots for campers to pitch a tent or anglers to drop a line.
Scenery abounds here with all types of topography, but if you want to see it all in one breathtaking panorama, head to High Point Monument. At 1,803 feet above sea level, this monolith marks the highest point in New Jersey, offering a visual feast of farmland, forest, hills, valleys, and the blue line of the Delaware River that divides the state from neighboring Pennsylvania.
While at the park, indulge your inner botanist and take the Cedar Swamp Trail into the Dryden Kuser Natural Area. There, you can find an Atlantic white cedar bog, which is home to many rare and uncommon plant species, like the endangered three-toothed cinquefoil. It’s also a hotspot for birding, especially the Cooper’s hawk and white-wing crossbills.
Delaware Water Gap
Full Name, Title
High Point State Park
Palisades Interstate Park
Plenty of in-the-know hikers know about the park’s more than 30 miles of trails along river shoreline, uplands, and cliffs. But for those adventurers who prefer nature’s thoroughfare, Palisades Interstate Park also features boat ramps, two boat basins, and plenty of places to put in your canoe or kayak for some shoreline boating on the Hudson, one of the continent’s grandest and most powerful waterways.
Meanwhile, up above, there’s also Fort Lee Historic Park, a cliff-top area that offers more than just camera-worthy vistas. Here is a reconstructed Revolutionary War encampment and visitor center to transport guests back to the time of our nation’s birth. Frequent re-enactments bring the place to life, giving you a real sense of what life was like back then.
By Monica Vanover on August 14, 2025
We haven’t forgotten about the beaches — this is New Jersey, after all. But if you’re looking for an escape from usual sand-and-surf suspects, head over to Strathmere, where a vibrant beach community awaits.
Corson’s Inlet State Park is one of the last undeveloped tracts of land along the state’s oceanfront. The area provides all sorts of wildlife habitat, from sand dune systems to shoreline overwash to marine estuaries. It’s a great place for hiking, fishing, crabbing, and boating.
There other stretches of sunbaked sand on Strathmere Beach for more commercial recreation, including all manner of watersports from rafting to surfing to parasailing.
And of course, when it’s time to dry off, there’s a laid-back beach town to hit. The city of Strathmere offers an array of dining options. You might even find a place to buy a postcard to send home or keep as a memento of your perfect vacation.
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Norvin Green State Forest
For a sense of what the land was like before humans even arrived, head to this undisturbed patch of forest and rugged terrain in Ringwood. Old logging roads provided the foundation for an extensive network of trails that will lead hikers among all species of birds and other wildlife.
One of those paths, Highlands Trail, is a stretch of a longer trail that spans 180 miles across the region. These are some of the oldest and most untouched forests in New Jersey, providing habitat for all sorts of wondrous animals. The trail crosses the forest from east to west, before heading north to Long Pond Ironworks State Park.
And in the summer, you can take a dip in the Highlands Natural Pool, a tree-lined olympic-sized outdoor pool fed by stream water from Wyanokie Highlands.
Strathmere Beach
A true hidden jewel, the Delaware Water Gap is 70,000 scenic acres of National Recreational Area situated along 40 miles of the Delaware River as it snakes through the Appalachian Mountains. And while much of the park is concentrated on the Pennsylvania side of the river, there’s plenty to see and do on the east bank, including several splendid waterfalls and activities like hiking, camping, and biking —often with much less crowded space in which to do it.
Waterfalls are a major attraction here, including Buttermilk Falls, the tallest in the state. But while most people you’ll run into are hiking to see that cascade, opt instead for the quieter Coppermine Trail. The moderate-to-difficult path (so wear sturdy footwear and pack water) climbs gradually toward Kittatinny Ridge, past two abandoned copper mines, but rewards the adventurer with hemlock ravine, mixed hardwood forest, and a handful of more modest, but still tranquil waterfalls.
If you packed your canoe or kayak, park at Kittatinny Point, where there is a picnic area and boat launch with river access, as well as a view of the namesake gap.
The park is also alive with human history. Millbrook Village is an interpretive settlement set in the 1800s, where volunteers open buildings for demonstrations of woodworking, weaving, spinning, blacksmithing, and gardening throughout the summer and fall. And Millbrook, of course, is a mill town, complete with a grist mill.
