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Double Trouble State Park
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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
 

 

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.

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Keep Your Park Clean

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.

Cedar Creek

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.

Trails

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.

Hunting

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.

Related Links

New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
NJ Pinelands Commission
Pinelands Preservation Alliance

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why is the park named "Double Trouble"?

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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Questions regarding our parks and forests can be directed to
Michele Buckley of the State Park Service.

 

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Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2004
Department of Environmental Protection
P. O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

Last Updated: November 20, 2009

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