LOCATION: 200 Georgia Road Freehold, NJ 07728 Park: 732-462-9265 LENGTH: 8 miles of trails TYPE: Loops RANKING: Easy to moderate ACCESS: 7 am - dusk USAGE: Moderate FEES: None MAPS: At Ranger office SURFACE: Compact soil with tree roots FEATURES: Archery Range and boat rental COMMENTS: Great family park PET FRIENDLY: Yes
This park was named “Turkey” after the historical label for Adelphia, and “Swamp” because of its high water table forming sphagnum bogs wherever the land dips. Turkey Swamp was purchased in 1963 and the adjacent land in the 1970’s. The lake is a major attraction to this park with fishing, boating and ice-skating in the winter.
We hiked the 2.5 mile Manasquan Trail and parked at the Oak Point Area. This trail is marked in blue and for the most part was easy to follow except at the end of the trail. It winds down to the Manasquan River and back up to the park. It stops at the Old Lenape Trail and is a little confusing how to return to the parking lot. We were disappointed to not see any turkeys but enjoyed the woods and other wildlife.
The other trails in the park are short but it’s easy to connect all of them for a great hike. The Alder Trail is an easy 1.6 miles around the lake. The Old Lenape Trail is an easy 1.2 loop named after Indian inhabitants. The fitness Trail is a 1 mile trail with 20 exercise stations. The Blueberry Path is a moderate 1 mile loop around the southernmost areas of Nomoco. There is no trailhead for the Blueberry Path.
There is camping here during April 2nd to November 15th. We were here in June 2015 and hiked most of the trails but didn't camp. We returned in June 2017 and camped for two weeks. The sites are all pull thru sites and several can accommodate a big rig. The roads and sites are dirt but we were able to maneuver through in our 35 ft motorhome. See our review on our rvhomeontheroad site.
DIRECTIONS FROM STATE HWY 9 SOUTH: In Freehold, turn right onto Route 524 west (Elton-Adelphia Rd.) Follow for 1.2 miles to Georgia Road and turn Left. Follow Georgia Road for 1.7 miles to main park entrance on right
