The best running trails around Forked River

Barnegat Lighthouse, a key highlight for hikers, offers breathtaking views of Island Beach, Barnegat Bay, and Long Beach Island. Visit daily from 10 am to 4:30 pm during the summer season (weather permitting) to experience its stunning vistas. Marking its 150th anniversary in 2009, the lighthouse now boasts a new U.S. Coast Guard-approved lens, which projects a beam visible up to 22 nautical miles. The original lens, replaced in 1927, is on display at the Barnegat Light Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum.

The Barnegat Branch Trail is a multiuse trail that runs through Berkeley Township. It is a mix of gravel and pavement and is completely traffic-free.

Pass right over Lake Barnegat, a swimming hotspot that, in the summer, transforms into a floating playground. This lake is also popular with fishermen, reeling in largemouth bass, chain pickerel-back bullhead, and pumpkinseed fish.

Barnegat Lighthouse has been sitting on the northern tip of Long Island since 1951. This lighthouse can be seen from the parking area, but to get up close, bikers must walk their bikes or lock them at the entrance and travel 315 yards on foot to the base of the lighthouse. Standing at 163 feet tall and surrounded by a pristine shoreline, it is worth the extra few steps on foot.