Berkeley Island County Park
Bayville, NJ
Berkeley Island County Park, officially the John C. Bartlett Jr. County Park at Berkeley Island, covers 25 acres on a peninsula jutting into Barnegat Bay. Paved walkways connect a family style spray park, picnic areas, and a fishing pier to a stretch of protected beach along the southern shoreline, where dogs are welcome to wade in on a leash.
A genuinely well equipped county park with real amenities for families and dog owners alike, though it's a bay beach through and through, not a spot for anyone chasing waves.
How we score beachesHead to the southern shoreline specifically if you're bringing a dog. The rest of the park's shoreline isn't set up the same way for it.
A lot at 399 Brennan Concourse serves the park, run by Ocean County Parks and typically easier to find a spot in than a municipal beach lot.
Paved walkways run throughout the park to the beach and pier, manageable for strollers and wheelchairs.
Leashed dogs are welcome at the park, with access to the water along the southern shoreline.
Bay water warms into the mid to upper 70s by August, calmer and gentler than the ocean beaches on the barrier island nearby. The park's paved paths make it a pleasant walk even in cooler months.
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