10 Beautiful Lakes In New Jersey
As the weather gets warmer, we know how much families love going to the beach or hiking to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. This includes gorgeous lakes! New Jersey offers a variety of options for your family, whether you’re hoping to swim, fish, paddleboard, or kayak. Therefore, we have created this list of the most beautiful lakes in New Jersey.
You can do many other fun activities with the little ones near Jersey City, like strawberry picking, going to a park, hiking, and heading out to a petting zoo.
Lake Hopatcong
260 Lakeside Blvd., Landing, NJ 07850
Wawayanda Lake
885 Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt, NJ 07421
The quiet charm appeals to hikers, campers, swimmers, and boaters. Forested hills surround Lake Wawayanda creating a restful backdrop for canoeists, boaters, and fishermen, while steep mountains challenge severe and casual hikers. A nineteen-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park, while the top of Wawayanda Mountain offers sensational views. It is open for swimming in the summer but can get quite crowded, so keep that in mind. Visitors can also rent boats, including canoes, rowboats, and paddleboats.
Swartswood Lake
1091 E Shore Rd Swartswood, NJ 07877
Lake Atsion
715 Rt. 206, Shamong, NJ 08088
Atsion Lake is an artificial lake in Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens, in the community of Atsion, Burlington County, New Jersey. The lake is part of the Mullica River. The lake offers boating, hiking, fishing, swimming and camping facilities, and cross-country skiing in the winter. Swimming at Atsion Lake is only permitted when lifeguards are on duty from 10 am to 6 pm. Throughout the forest are rivers and streams for canoeing, hiking trails (including a significant section of the Batona Trail), miles of unpaved roads for mountain biking and horseback riding, and numerous lakes, ponds, and fields ideal for wildlife observation.
Round Valley Reservoir
1220 Lebanon-Stanton Road, Lebanon, NJ 08833-3115
The brisk blue waters of Round Valley Reservoir attract swimmers, boaters, fishers, picnickers, and campers to its scenic shore. The reservoir covers about 2,350 acres and is approximately 180 feet deep, the second deepest lake in New Jersey. It has a water capacity of 55 billion gallons. The reservoir is stocked with lake trout.
Round Valley is the only state park that offers wilderness camping. The campsites on the eastern side of the reservoir are accessible only by hiking or boating. The campers’ parking lot is three miles from the nearest site, reachable by a steep and rugged trail.
Lake Carnegie
Princeton, New Jersey
Lake Carnegie is located on the far northeastern corner of Princeton. It was exclusively for the Princeton University rowing team. The lake is privately owned. However, fishing is encouraged, as well as picnicking along the shores.
Hooks Creek Lake in Cheesequake State Park
300 Gordon Road, Matawan, NJ 07747
Cheesequake State Park might be a small area, but it offers many unique recreational activities, from camping, swimming, and picnicking to kayak tours, hunting, and mountain biking. The six-acre Hooks Creek Lake is perfect to go with the whole family! Cheesequake is the only park where the northern hardwood forest meets a southern pine barren ecosystem at sea level offering birders and hikers a remarkable diversity of native flora and fauna in a healthy, natural environment. Playgrounds, concession stands, restrooms, and changing areas are available lakeside.
Shepherd Lake in Ringwood State Park
1304 Sloatsburg Rd, Ringwood, NJ 07456
Lakes In New Jersey: Ringwood State Park offers visitors various recreational activities. The park is also home to several beautiful country manors and botanical gardens open to the public year-round. The recreation area features picnic tables, bathhouses, and a food concession. Boat rentals are available for fishing and canoeing, and the surrounding park features botanical gardens, historic manors, and more than a dozen trails.
Tomahawk Lake
155 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta Township, NJ 07871
Tomahawk Lake Waterpark is conveniently located just one hour from the George Washington Bridge in Sparta, New Jersey. The park grounds are situated on 200 breathtaking acres that come complete with everything a family could ask for, including an 18-hole miniature golf course, a rustic outdoor beer garden featuring live music on the weekends; refreshment stands, a souvenir shop, softball field, horseshoe pits, and volleyball areas, an old fashioned picnic area with more than 800 tables and New Jersey’s most famous white sand beach featuring a crystal clear 20-acre lake for swimming and boating!
Farrington Lake
Milltown New Jersey
Lakes In New Jersey: Farrington Lake is a scenic freshwater reservoir in Middlesex County, New Jersey, near Milltown, New Jersey. Created by a dam on the Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River, the lake is, in fact, a widened section of the Lawrence Brook. You can go fishing and swim in this lake during the summer months.
