Mannington Meadows, NJ

See slideshow of Mannington Meadows trip

Mannington Meadows is a huge saltwater marsh area in Salem County, NJ. Access is from E. Pittsfield road: from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, take exit 1C for 551 South/North Hook Road. It’s a little tricky–the first exit off the bridge is labeled 1A, then you actually take the next one labeled 1B, which almost immediately splits in two, and you should bear left right after the overpass. There is a sign that says 1C that’s almost completely hidden behind foliage on the left. After you bear left, bear right at the next fork and follow the signs for North Hook Road. Go south on North Hook about 2 miles, and make a left onto E. Pittsfield and drive all the way to the end. Parking is informal in the gravel area at the water. Low tide drains 18+ inches of water from the Meadows and many channels become impassable mud, so be careful! I kept testing the depth with my paddle to make sure I’d be able to get back even if the level dropped a foot. It’s also easy to get lost in the channels since they all look the same. One last caution: as you paddle south towards the more open water, the wind gets much fiercer. Since it was at my back heading south, I didn’t quite realize how hard it was going to be to get back against both the wind and the tide. I got my exercise, all right! On the plus side, the weather was perfect, sunny and 72, and it was almost completely quiet except for the plash of the paddle and the wind rushing shwishing through millions of reeds. I didn’t see another soul on the water until I was almost ready to take out, so the birds and I had the Meadows entirely to ourselves. It was blissful.