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Trail Guides
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Menantico Ponds Wildlife Management Area
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5
 
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Route 49 South, Millville, NJ
Phone: (856) 785-0455
www.njfishandwildlife.com
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Turn out of the lot onto Sharp
St., heading back toward Route 49. Turn
Left onto Route 49 and follow for 4.2 miles, through Millville’s Arts District and past the entrance ramp for Route 55. Turn Right
onto a dirt road at the wooden sign into
Menantico WMA. Follow the road for 1.5
miles to the ponds. Map
A Boat Ramp Maintenance Permit or valid hunting or fishing license is required to use the boat ramp at Menantico Ponds WMA. Go to www.njfishandwildlife.com/wmaregs.htm for further information.
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| Fence Lizard | Bill Garwood |
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| | Like many of the sites along this trail route, the nearly 300-acre Menantico WMA can be enjoyed either by car, on foot or by canoe or kayak. The Menantico River and Ponds are part of the federally designated Wild and Scenic Maurice River watershed, and it’s easy
to see why. These pristine waterways provide essential habitat for numerous federal and state endangered and threatened species from birds to fish and plants. The network of freshwater ponds is the result of extensive sand mining that still takes place in many of the bayshore’s rural
communities. These sand-wash ponds are
common throughout the Bayshore Region and provide important habitat for wildlife and
recreational opportunities for people.
Wintering raptors can be found here in abundance. Sharp-shinned Hawk prey on smaller winter residents, such as White-throated Sparrow or Yellow-rumped Warbler.
In the spring, before the lily pads grow in and obscure the large-mouthed bass and pickerel, dozens of Osprey and an occasional Bald Eagle find their way to the ponds to fish. Common Yellowthroat, Prairie and Pine Warblers nest here and can be heard singing throughout the spring. Waterfowl, especially the American Black Duck, nest here as well.
This WMA is best explored via canoe or kayak during the summer. Look for basking red-bellied and painted turtles, forest wildflowers and an abundance of nesting birds on the islands of land between the ponds. Visits during the week will avoid the heavy weekend use by other outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
Enjoy the crisp fall air at the Menantico WMA. Scan the impoundments for early arrivals of wintering waterfowl and search the skies for Bald Eagle and Turkey Vulture.
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