Wharton State Forest

09/05/2026

Attention all Girl Scouts: Wharton State Forest is proudly celebrating Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend September 12th and 13th!

Programs focusing on both the history and natural world of South Jersey are available to interested Girl Scout Troops and their families:

Pine Barrens Basics: Guided Hike

What do you know about our nation’s first national reserve? Join Wharton State Forest’s naturalist on a guided hike and learn the basics about Pine Barrens ecology including how some species survive in such a harsh nutrient poor environment. We’ll also briefly touch on wilderness ethics and what to expect when exploring Wharton State Forest.

• Saturday, September 12 – 11:00 a.m.

• Sunday, September 13 – 11:00 a.m.

Tours meet at the Batsto Visitor Center. For more information or to register, interested Troop Leaders should email Wharton's naturalist at [email protected].

Batsto Mansion Backstage: Guided Tour

Join Wharton State Forest’s historians as you explore the rarely-seen rooms and spaces within Batsto Mansion. See the “secret” staircase, the tower water tank, and other “behind-the-scenes” areas as historians reveal the hidden histories of the home. Tours also include hands-on time with historic artifacts.

• Saturday, September 12 – 11:00 a.m.

• Saturday, September 12 – 2:00 p.m.

• Sunday, September 13 – 11:00 a.m.

• Sunday, September 13 – 2:00 p.m.

Tours are $5 per person and meet at the Batsto Visitor Center. For more information or to register, interested Troop Leaders should email Wharton's historian at [email protected].

CALLING ALL NEW JERSEY GIRL SCOUTS AND TROOP LEADERS! 📢
Are you affiliated with, or know a troop interested in participating in Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend on Sept. 12 & 13 or 19 & 20? This year, the New Jersey State Park Service is hosting 20 statewide programs, cleanups, stewardship activities and more!

✍ Register your girl scout or troop today: https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/girl-scouts-love-state-parks/

Girl Scouts Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ, Inc. Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

09/04/2026

The first harvest of Batsto’s Kitchen Garden is underway! All summer long, Wharton State Forest staff have tended the garden, and now it’s time to share in the harvest.

Starting today, you are invited to come to the Visitor Center and pick up a free sample of Batsto-grown herbs! The following herbs may be available to take home, while supplies last: mint, oregano, thyme, sage, tarragon, lavender, rosemary, and chives. Stop in and learn how the people who once lived in the village used their gardens for cooking, medicine, and more.

While enjoying Batsto and exploring the rest of the village, we ask that visitors refrain from taking herbs directly from the garden.

Additionally, the Batsto Museum Shop is proud to feature our newest vendor: Pezz Glassworks! Individually hand-crafted, Pezz Glassworks has supplied us with unique glass pumpkins and beautiful glass ornaments, perfect for seasonal decorating. Stop by and take a look before they are gone! New candles and soap are also in stock, including fall and early winter scents. New merchandise is arriving daily, so come by and see what’s new!

08/09/2026

Happy 82nd birthday Smokey Bear! Smokey is celebrating his birthday today by flying low along the Jersey Shore aboard a New Jersey Forest Fire Service helicopter, waving to beachgoers from Cape May to Asbury Park, with special flyovers of Atsion Lake in Wharton State Forest and Lake Nummy in Belleplain State Forest.

Commemorative Smokey Bear beach badges will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for visitors of Atsion Recreation Area (Wharton State Forest), Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Belleplain State Forest, Corson’s Inlet State Park, Island Beach State Park and the Ocean City Music Pier.

The flight is scheduled to begin over Cape May at approximately 1 p.m. and travel north along the coast, ending in Asbury Park around 3:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, Smokey will fly over Atsion Lake in Wharton State Forest at approximately 11 a.m. and Lake Nummy in Belleplain State Forest at approximately 11:45 a.m.

A banner plane displaying a "Happy Birthday, Smokey Bear" message will lead the flight.

The birthday flight is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.

For nearly a century, Smokey Bear has inspired generations of Americans to help prevent wildfires with his timeless message: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

08/07/2026

Wave to Smokey Bear as he flies over Atsion Recreation Area aboard a New Jersey Forest Fire Service helicopter on Sunday, Aug. 9, to celebrate his 82nd birthday.

The first 700 visitors to the park will receive a commemorative Smokey Bear beach tag. The exact time of the flyover of Atsion is to be determined but is expected around 11 a.m.

Flying low over the Atsion Lake in one of the Forest Fire Service's Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopters, Smokey Bear will wave to beachgoers before hitting the Jersey Shore flying from Cape May to Asbury Park.

The birthday flight is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. In the event of inclement weather, the flight will be rescheduled for Sunday, Aug. 16.

For nearly a century, Smokey Bear has inspired generations of Americans to help prevent wildfires with his timeless message: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

08/04/2026

Visitors to Wharton State Forest with mobility impairments can explore select trails with a reservable Trackchair — an all-terrain, electric-powered wheelchair designed to navigate terrain that may be inaccessible to standard wheelchairs.

Advance reservations are required. To reserve the Trackchair, call the Wharton State Forest Batsto office at 609-561-0024. Only one reservation is accepted per day.

On the day of your reservation, you and your required companion will be asked to sign a waiver. You will also receive a map outlining permitted areas of use, along with an instruction packet that includes operational guidelines and helpful tips for using the Trackchair.

Learn more and plan your adventure at Wharton State Forest: dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/wharton-state-forest/

05/21/2026

Concession Opportunity: Atsion Recreation Area (Wharton State Forest)

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is accepting bid proposals for the operation of a stand up paddleboard concession at Atsion Recreation Area in Wharton State Forest.

Proposals are due by 12 p.m. on June 8.

🔗 More information: https://dep.nj.gov/otpla/request-for-proposal-le26-038-atsion-recreation-area-stand-up-paddleboard-concession/

04/30/2026

Spend your summer at Atsion Recreation Area, in Wharton State Forest as a lifeguard, ensuring visitor safety and learning valuable lifelong skills! ☀️

No prior experience? No problem! New Jersey State Park’s will train lifeguards in CPR, Automated External Defibrillators, First Aid and other necessary medical practices. Each lifeguard will also receive a U.S. Lifesaving Association certification.

Lifeguard salaries start at $19 an hour. Junior lifeguard salaries are $17.50 an hour.

🛟Lifeguards develop lasting strengths and qualities including teamwork, leadership, clear communication, preparedness, situational awareness and the ability to remain calm and respond effectively in emergency situations. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older.
🛟Junior lifeguards work on skills training, giving new recruits a head start on their experience. Junior lifeguards cannot perform lifeguard duties for the public until age 16. Applicants must be 15 years old.

To get started, apply online and attend a regional swim and run test.

LIFEGUARD TEST DATES:
Saturday, May 2 & 9
📍Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA
1159 E. Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360

Walk-ins are allowed with a completed lifeguard application form. More detailed information about the Lifeguard employment test including and a permission slip for applicants under 18 can be found here:https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/parksandforests/lifeguard-test-infosheet.pdf

🔗 Learn more and apply today at: https://nj.gov/dep/workinparks

04/26/2026

Now growing in the Visitor Center Museum Shop and your home garden: Jersey Devil Tomatoes!

These heirloom tomatoes feature a distinct pepper-like shape and have a rich, sweet flavor. They are perfect for salsas and sauces, or as a simple snack on their own.

Seed packets are now available at Batsto and Atsion. Batsto also features sprouts growing in watering can planters. Try growing some this spring!

04/21/2026

Tomorrow is Earth Day! Spend your day outside in the pine barrens with a trip to historic Batsto Village! Stop in the Batsto Visitor Center from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and check out the new display of children's Earth Day books. Meander through the museum, walk around the Batsto museum shop or watch a 10-minute movie about the history of the village.

Rather spend the day outside? Explore the village and our trails or stop by the nature center along Batsto Lake! The nature center will have special Earth Day hours tomorrow from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Happy Earth Day!