Cape May Point State Park

Wow, it has been a minute since I posted anything travel-related, but earlier this month, we took a short vacation to Wildwood and Cape May, New Jersey.  My grandparents lived in Wildwood Crest for a good portion of my life, so we spent many summer weekends there when I was a child.  I have so many happy memories from those times, so it was nice to be able to spend an extended amount of time there after being away for so long.  My sister invited us along on her vacation, and we were lucky to have mostly beautiful weather while we there, especially the day we decided to go for a walk at Cape May Point State Park!

 

Cape May Point State Park has a little something for everyone - bird watching, trails, beaches, dunes, ponds, a WWII bunker, and the Cape May lighthouse, which you can climb for a small fee.  For more information about the park, visit this site.  The park has three trails: Red (0.5 miles), Yellow (1.5 miles), and Blue (2 miles).  They somewhat overlap, so we started with the Blue Trail, with the dunes on one side and two ponds on the other.  The trail here is a sandy, rocky mix.

The beach is just on the other side of the dunes and there is a connector trail.

There are great views of the lighthouse from everywhere along the trail!

Once we moved away from the dunes/beach, the trail turns into a combination of boardwalk and dirt path, and the feel of the park sometimes even feels like forest.

The Red Trail is a short offshoot from the Blue Trail and is quite shady until you reach a bird blind/viewing area.  There are a couple other bird blinds/viewing areas along the Blue Trail.

These flowers called swamp rose-mallows were in bloom during our visit.  They were enormous and beautiful and everywhere!  Even though the trails weren't long, Cape May Point State Park was a great place to meander for a little while.  The trails are all flat, making them easy for all levels of walkers/hikers.  There's also no entrance fee, which is nice.  Definitely a must-see when you're in the area!