2026-01-30 10:38:18
Salt-laden or ultra-fresh, our healing waters offer a tonic for both body and mind.
With miles of Atlantic coastline, flowing rivers and streams, publicly accessible lakeshores and waterfalls worth the hike, New Jersey is a water lover’s paradise. Simply being in or by a body of blue nourishes the soul—and with landscapes like these, wellness runs deep.
FROM BEACH TO BAY
Strands of shoreline running the length of the coast offer a range of activities and experiences for the avid water sportsman and woman. Cast a line off Ventnor Fishing Pier or at uncrowded Horseshoe Cove in Sandy Hook Bay. For deep-sea charters from Delaware Bay to offshore canyons, tackle up with Free Spirit Fishing in Margate, or stay inshore for fly fishing with Fish Head Charters in Ship Bottom. Get your kicks parasailing with Belmar Parasail, rent jet skis at Beesleys Point or paddle out into the surf when visiting Manasquan Inlet. Dock your boat on the banks of Raritan Bay for a Manhattan skyline view or tow tube across the waters of Barnegat Bay. Paddleboard into the sunset on Sea Isle City’s bay side, or bodysurf the waves on the Atlantic side. Head into the back bay sounds of Avalon on a family-friendly crabbing trip with the captain and crew of Miss Avalon Fishing Charters.
LIFE ON THE LAKE
Beaches aren’t the only coastal attraction in New Jersey, which boasts hundreds of publicly accessible lakes perfect for water sports. Hop aboard your choice of watercraft at Wawayanda Lake in Hewitt or take the boat for a cruise around Lake Hopatcong in Hopatcong State Park. Go for a refreshing dip before setting your tent up at Atsion Lake and falling asleep beneath the stars to the sounds of water lapping on the shore. Let the kids go swimming, crabbing or canoeing at Hooks Creek Lake in Cheesequake State Park in Matawan. Venture to the lakeside restaurants and marinas fringing 7-mile-long Greenwood Lake in West Milford, where diving, rowing and water-skiing triggers a state of happy.
CHASING WATERFALLS
Some of the most breathtaking views can be found right here in our own backyard. Look up and marvel at Buttermilk Falls—the tallest waterfall in New Jersey—when visiting Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Hardwick, or test your map-reading skills and join the hunt for Silver Spray Falls (or “Hidden Falls”). Feel humbled beside a 77-foot roaring cascade at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, home to one of the nation’s largest waterfalls, while Coppermines Trail Cascades offers a more modest, tranquil reward at the end of your trek.
*Access to Buttermilk Falls Trail from Walpack Center remains closed due to bridge repairs, with anticipated completion Spring 2026.
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