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Trail Guides
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Corsons Inlet State Park
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9
 
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Ocean Drive, Ocean City, NJ
Phone: (800) 843-6420
www.njparksandforests.org
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Travel West on 7th Street approximately 1/4 mile. Bear Right onto CR619/Ocean Dr. and continue over Townsend's Inlet Bridge. Continue for 9 miles through Sea Isle and Strathmere and over the Corson Inlet Bridge. Continue over the Rush Chattin Bridge and turn Right into the parking area. Map9a) Beach Access Turn Right out of the Corson’s Inlet State Park parking lot onto CR 619/Bay Ave. After 0.6 miles, turn Right onto 56th St. Travel approximately
1⁄4 mile and turn Right onto Central Ave. Follow Central Ave. to the Park entrance.
The site is open daily from dawn to dusk. Beach access is restricted from April to September for breeding birds. Parking is available at both entry points. Note: There is a seasonal fee for launching vessels from the park’s boat ramp.
The small freshwater pond on the north side of the parking lot can be a great place for close views of wading birds, including the
elusive American Bittern, dabbling ducks in
winter and shorebirds in spring and summer.
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| Semipalmated Plover | Kevin Karlson |
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Corson’s Inlet State Park offers one of the largest forested dunes, salt marsh, and undeveloped beach areas in the state. It is a
popular spot for boating and fishing, with a boat ramp offering access to the coastal waters of Ocean City and Strathmere. Fishing is permitted from the Russ Chattin Bridge and the beach.
nesting season in June and July.
The colonies of endangered beach nesters, such as Black Skimmer, Piping Plover and Least Tern, are viewable from both Ocean City and Strathmere beaches.
A solitary walk on Corson’s Inlet State Park Beach may produce many seabirds including Northern Gannet, Common Loon and large rafts of sea ducks. Shell collecting is also best in
wintertime. Be sure to check the high tide line
for Snow Bunting and the occasional Ipswich Sparrow.
Migrating shorebirds and endangered beach nesters return. Fishing for Striped Bass
and other saltwater species also begins.
Summer is the most popular season
for sunbathers, swimmers, hikers, anglers and boaters at the park, yet birding can still be
productive given the variety of shorebirds, terns and gulls in the area.
Large groups of Tree Swallows, numbering in the tens of thousands, move through the dune forest and often roost there at night. Northwest winds may signal prime conditions for migration among songbirds and monarch butterflies, all viewable from the varied habitat at the Park.
Access the forested dune path from the Boat Ramp at the base of the Russ Chattin Bridge. The trail runs from the parking lot to the beach.
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