Land Rover Adventures in the Pine Barrens

IMAGE COURTESY OF L. CAMPBELL

By JOSEPH V. KUCA

Travelling the Forgotten Roads of the Pine Barrens

Off-roading in NJ?  That's right, excellent, challenging and interesting off-roading here in your backyard.

Over the years the folks at Land Rover Monmouth have sponsored some of their legendary WHEELS events throughout the year in the largest expanse of untouched wilderness extent on the mid-Atlantic seaboard and in the state of New Jersey, the Pine Barrens.  So, many Centre patrons may be somewhat familiar with the area and its off-road opportunities.

However, it is amazing how few know about the history of this southern New Jersey wilderness.  So, some facts about the Pine Barrens are in order.  The Pinelands National Preserve, as it's officially called, a protected zone where development is limited by state and federal laws, covers nearly one-quarter of the state, an expanse of nearly a million acres.  To put that in perspective, the Pine Barrens is roughly the same size as Grand Canyon National Park.

In 1983 the Pine Barrens captured international attention for its biological richness and diversity when the United Nations designated the New Jersey Pine Barrens an UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve for it contains a tremendous amount of flora and fauna unique to its environs and found nowhere else on earth.  Tree frogs, curly fern grass and a unique type of carnivorous plant, a particular type of Laddy Slipper, to name but a few, all call the pines home.

But it is what is unseen, beneath the ground, which really is the true treasure of the Pinelands.  The aquifer, basically a pristine cache of water, pure, unadulterated and filtered by the sands of the Pine Barrens, which experts have estimated to total some 17 trillion gallons of pure water.  The aquifer, known as the Cohansey Aquifer, is believed to be the largest untouched aquifer on the eastern seaboard.  If pumped to the surface, to put it in terms easily comprehended, this aquifer would create a lake some 75 feet deep with a surface area that would encompass nearly 1,000 square miles!

The Pine Barrens are criss-crossed by many old colonial stage roads which allow for a great many opportunities for fun off-roading in an area dotted with mouldering and decaying ghost towns from bygone eras.  Settlements which date from when bog iron and glass production were the main activities here in the pines.

Lore and legends abound here too.  Many may be aware of the famous legend of the Jersey Devil whose birth as the cursed thirteenth child of Mother Leeds sprung from the chimney of her home at Leeds Point.  Nary a year goes by when someone somewhere in the Pine Barrens doesn't report a sighting of the cloven-hoofed beast.

For escaping 20th century life for a while, an expedition into the Pine Barrens can't be beat.  It's truly amazing that this incredible untouched eco-system still exists in the most densely populated state in the union.  While most of the Pine Barrens are barely above sea level, an area known as Apple Pie Hill, at an elevation of 205 feet, affords a good overview of the region---lush, unbroken, scrub pine forest stretching as far as the eye can see.  Many world travellers who've cast an eye over this incredible view have likened it to looking across the great Masai Mara and Serengeti Plains of East Africa.

While off-roading opportunities abound, other recreational activities are also quite readily do-able in the Pine Barrens.  Outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers of all ages and abilities can find a wide variety of activities to enjoy among the pines.  Hiking, camping, mountain biking, as well as canoeing and kayaking, are all available here to visitors.  In fact, as you might imagine, canoe and kayak expeditions are extremely popular here as the area is transected by no fewer than five major waterways---the Toms, Wading, Mullica and Great Egg Rivers which all gently flow east toward the Atlantic, and the Rancocas Creek which flows west into the Delaware River.

Land Rover is helping off-roaders to safely enjoy and respect our environment.  So, let's do just that, with a nice spring shaping up and the weather getting better day-by-day, why not make sure your Landy is all prepped and ready, grab a few friends and go explore your own backyard with your own Land Rover Adventure in the Pine Barrens.

Check back here every Monday at www.LandRoverMonmouth.com to join in a new adventure!

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