Highlands
Q3
where the
JERSEY SHORE begins
Explore all that Highlands has to offer and you’ll want to return often.
Aquick ferry ride away from Manhattan,
Highlands feels like an island getaway.
Start your day with a bicycle ride or short
walk over the newly constructed Highlands
Bridge to the Gateway National Recreation
Area at Sandy Hook, a 7-mile-long peninsula
with over 1,600 acres of pristine beach and a
spectacular holly forest where over 300 species
of migratory shorebirds can be spotted.
Spend the day sunbathing and swimming
on the wide beaches or enjoy premier surf
fishing. Horseshoe Cove on the bay side of
Sandy Hook offers plenty of spots to anchor
your boat and ideal conditions for kayaking,
parasailing, windsurfing and Jet Skiing. History
buffs can tour the 1764 Sandy Hook Lighthouse,
the oldest operating lighthouse in the United
States, and the Fort Hancock historic area, with
Spanish-American War–era experimental gun
batteries and Cold War–era missile sites. From
Sandy Hook, head up to Twin Lights Historic
Site for a tour of the Civil War–era lighthouse
and the site where Marconi demonstrated
the commercial potential of wireless radio by
broadcasting the 1899 America’s Cup race. Tour
the museum, marvel at the massive Fresnel lens
and climb the steps to the top of the north tower
for panoramic views of New York City, Long
Island and the Atlantic Ocean from the highest
point on the eastern seaboard south of Maine.
Near Twin Lights is Monmouth County Park
System’s Hartshorne Woods—787 acres of
parkland featuring 19 miles of acclaimed forest
trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback
riding plus memorable ocean views. Closer
to sea level, the 1.8-mile Bayshore section of
the Henry Hudson Trail, open to both foot and
bike traffic, provides a level waterfront passage
between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. Pick
up the trail at Popamora Park in Highlands or
the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor.
Stay at one of Highlands’ charming bed &
breakfast inns and spend a day exploring
downtown’s original “summer bungalow”
colonies, unique shops, waterfront restaurants
Photo by T. Morrison
www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com 73