Last updated: October 30, 2020
Article
Recreation | Great Egg Harbor
The Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River was the first Wild and Scenic River in America to be fully managed by local jurisdictions in partnership with the National Park Service; the first Partnership Wild and Scenic River, dubbed “GREG”.
Of the 129 river miles designated by Congress in 1992, 98.4 miles were designated as “Recreational”, in recognition of the National Outstanding Resource Value of recreation on the Great Egg Harbor River, which flows through non-federal lands.
Outdoor recreational opportunities on the GREG and its watershed were vast and abundant when the river was studied in 1988 and have increased greatly to date. Today there are over 127,000 acres of recreational lands on and around the GREG.
Boating of all types, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, birding, wildlife viewing, photography, cross country skiing, picnicking, mountain biking, ball fields, playgrounds and sports courts are all abundantly available on or near the river.
In addition to the vast recreational opportunities on public open space, there are 16.9 miles of mapped non-tidal water trails that are heavily exploited by hundreds of both commercial and private recreational users per day from late spring through early fall.
Approximately 65% (84.7 miles) of the GREG is tidal river and tidal tributaries, with over 40 public access sites and private marinas which make this area highly accessible to both motorized and non-motorized boats.
The river trail and tidal areas of the river are recreationally overused during the summer months, and there is some concern regarding maintaining river values that should be left unimpaired for future generations.
The Great Egg Harbor River Council tracks the recreational inventory of the GREG, and this report is updated periodically and posted on the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association Website.
In addition to the vast and abundant recreational opportunities on public lands and waters, there are many recreational events that occur on and near the river.
There are 12 municipalities on the River Council that all conduct large community events every year for fun and learning. Somers Point is exemplary of this with an outdoor summer concert series at William Morrow Beach on the Great Egg Harbor Bay and multiple events on the bay at Kennedy Park.
The largest single event on the Great Egg Harbor River is the Assault on Patcong Creek, the largest crabbing tournament in the United States with 340 crabbers from 14 states participating in 2019.
The Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association annually conducts 3 outdoor events per year that include paddling, hiking, picnicking, and frog walking.