There's a ghost town in New Jersey, and it's under 90 minutes from Philadelphia. Double Trouble State Park, near Bayville on the mainland side of Barnegat Bay, protects more than 8,000 acres of the Pine Barrens — the mysterious wetland region of cedar swamps and pine forest that holds UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status. But what makes it unusual is the abandoned village sitting at its heart.
Double Trouble Village began as a land purchase in 1698 and a mid-18th-century sawmill. When the timber ran out, the cleared ground became cranberry bogs in the 1860s. In 1903 Edward Crabbe bought the site and turned it into a proper company town — worker cottages, a sorting and packing house, the works. At its height, Double Trouble was among New Jersey's biggest cranberry operations, and Mill Pond Bog was the largest in the state. The company dissolved in 1964, and the land was sold to the state that same year. That fast handover meant the buildings survived: 15 still stand today, mostly dating from around 1900 to 1910, including the oldest, a one-room schoolhouse from 1893.
The historic district covers about 200 acres, and you can wander past the sawmill, the packing house and the pickers' and foremen's homes. Some of the old bogs remain, though Mill Pond Bog has been quietly reclaimed by trees.
The nature side justifies the trip on its own. More than 8 miles of trails crisscross the park, all with views of Cedar Creek. Most routes are multi-use — hiking and biking in summer, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. The short Dover Forge Trail leads to an overlook of the creek, while the 1.9-mile Nature Trail loops through Atlantic White Cedar and restored cranberry bogs and links up with the 2.5-mile Sweetwater Trail for something longer.
Wildlife is a big draw. Birders have logged over 200 species here, from bald eagles and broad-winged hawks to herons, swans and ducks, with warblers passing through in spring migration. Deer, foxes, beavers and river otters live in the Pine Barrens, and in warm weather you might spot Pine Barrens tree frogs or even bog turtles in the wetlands.
Cedar Creek is open to kayaks and canoes, launched from Double Trouble Village or access points at Ore Pond and Dover Forge — tubing, rafting and swimming aren't allowed. Anglers can fish from the banks or non-motorized boats for pickerel, largemouth bass, catfish and sunfish.
Why bother? Because this is the Garden State at its least garden-city. If you've written off New Jersey as turnpike sprawl, Double Trouble makes the case for the other Jersey: quiet pines, black-water creeks and a preserved company town you can have mostly to yourself. It suits day-trippers from Philadelphia (about 90 minutes) or Newark (around 75 minutes), history buffs, birders and paddlers alike. Pair it with Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on the coast if you want to stretch the trip.
Original source: Islands
