Photo
by Paul Steen
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| Double
Trouble
State Park
Location:
Lacey and Berkeley Townships
Mailing Address:
PO Box 175,
Bayville, NJ 08721
(732) 341-6662
GPS Coordinates
DMS 39° 53’ 52.36” N 74° 13' 16.65" W
Interpretive Center phone number (732) 341-4098
Size: 7,881
acres
Fees: No entrance fee.
Link to the Related
Fees page
Directions:
Garden State Parkway Southbound: Take exit 77. Turn left off exit ramp and travel 1/2 mile south on Double Trouble Road/ County Route 619 South to traffic signal. Park entrance is straight ahead across Pinewald Keswick Road/County Route 618.
Garden State Parkway Northbound: Take exit 77. Turn left onto County Route 618 West, go under Garden State Parkway and travel approximately 1/2 mile on Pinewald Keswick Road to traffic signal at Double Trouble Road. Park entrance is on the left.
Routes 70, 530 or 539: From intersection of Routes 70, 530 and 539 in Manchester Township, Ocean County, take Routes 530 East/539 South. Route 539 quickly bears right; stay on Route 530 East. Follow Route 530 East approximately 7.7 miles to traffic signal at Dover Road. Route 530 East bears to the left; go straight onto County Route 618 East/Pinewald Keswick Road. Follow Route 618 East/ Pinewald-Keswick Road approximately 2.5 miles to traffic signal at Double Trouble Road. Park entrance is on the right.
Facilities
& Activities:
Trails:
- Hiking
- Nature trails
- Horseback riding
- Biking
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Double Trouble State
Park offers an outstanding example of the Pine Barrens ecosystem
and a window into the Pine Barrens history. The park provides
the protection and interpretation of over 8000 acres of significant
natural, cultural, and recreational resources representative
of the Pinelands National Reserve.
Its location and resource base afford an opportunity to introduce
visitors to southern New Jersey's natural and cultural heritage.
Both the natural environment, consisting of a high quality
Pinelands watershed, and an extremely well preserved historic
village associated with New Jersey cranberry agriculture and
Atlantic White Cedar logging and milling industries are available
to visitors at Double Trouble State Park.

Through the Carry-In/Carry-Out Program you can help us keep your parks clean
and beautiful by carrying out the trash you carry in. Bags are provided
throughout the site. Thank you for your cooperation and remember to recycle.
| Cranberry Harvest at Double Trouble State Park: |
Four cranberry bogs in the Double Trouble Historic District are leased and maintained by local farmers. Unlike the days when the village's population of migrant workers would dry harvested the cranberries by hand over the course of several months, our leaseholders use the modern wet harvesting technique of flooding the cranberry bogs and knocking the berries off the vine. The cranberries then float to the surface of the water where they are corralled and removed from the bogs for processing. This wet harvest requires fewer people and is much quicker; it now only takes four to five days to harvest the cranberry bogs at Double Trouble village. The harvest is open to the public to watch and usually occurs in mid-October; the public is not allowed to pick the cranberries or go into the bogs. As this is a weather dependent livelihood for our leaseholders, there is never an exact start or end date; the berries are harvested once they are ready to be harvested. An approximate start date is posted on the Double Trouble Interpretive Center bulletin board and voicemail at 732-341-4098 starting in early September. This voicemail message is updated throughout the early fall as the leaseholders close in on their harvesting date.
| Double Trouble Historic Village |
Originally a cranberry farm and packing plant, the former company town called Double Trouble is a window into past and current industries in the Pinelands. The Double Trouble Company was formed to sell timber, millwork products and cranberries. A succession of sawmills has been on site since the mid-1700s. The village consists of cranberry bogs and fourteen original historic structures dating from the late 19th century through the early 20th century including a general store, a schoolhouse and cottages. The sawmill was restored in 1995, and the cranberry sorting and packing house were completed in 1996.
The park features over 8,000 acres of Pine
Barrens habitats. From its headwaters in Greenwood Forest
Management Area to its mouth at Barnegat Bay, Cedar Creek
provides the water required for cranberry culture and supplies
a pure source of water for wildlife. The creek is an excellent
stream for canoeing and kayaking. Adjacent bogs and uplands
provide examples of plants characteristic to the Pine Barrens.
The Double Trouble State Park Nature Trail
is a 1.5-mile, self-guided, loop trail in which both natural
and historical items are delineated and interpreted in the
Trail Guide. Trail Guides are available at the trailhead in
the historic village.
View the State Park Service areas open to hunting for 2009-2010.
Parts of Double Trouble State Park are
open for hunting. For information about hunting, refer to the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest or contact the park office.
• New
Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
• NJ Pinelands
Commission
• Pinelands
Preservation Alliance
| FAQ's
(Frequently Asked Questions) |
| Why is the park named
"Double Trouble"? |
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There are conflicting
stories about the naming of Double Trouble. Most of
the common legends centered around the dam on Cedar
Creek. The earliest story attributes the name to Thomas
Potter who coined the words "Double Trouble"
after spring rains washed out the dam two times in one
season.
A more colorful legend involves
local muskrats that persisted in gnawing at the dam,
which caused frequent leaks. Such leaks gave rise to
the alarm "Here's trouble", upon which workmen
would rush to repair the leak. One day two breaks were
discovered and one worker overheard the shout "Here's
double trouble". Whatever the origin of the name,
most sources suggest that the unusual title was born
with the start of the cranberry industry. |
| How long
is Cedar Creek from Bamber Lake to Barnegat Bay? |
Approximately 9 miles. |
| What were the two Pine Barren industries
present at the Double Trouble village? |
Lumber industry and cranberry
harvesting |
| How did the cranberry
get its name? |
The cranberry is named after the
plant's blossom that resembles the neck of a crane. |
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