Cliffwood Beach
Aberdeen, NJ
Cliffwood Beach sits along Raritan Bay in Aberdeen Township, a mix of sand and small stones that locals have used as their neighborhood beach for generations. A low boardwalk runs along the waterfront park behind it, and on a clear afternoon the Manhattan skyline sits right there across the water, closer than you'd expect.
A genuine, well loved neighborhood spot with a real park behind it and free parking, but the stony patches in the sand and modest scale keep it a local's beach rather than a destination.
How we score beachesGo right around sunset if you want the skyline view at its best. The light hits the water and the buildings across the bay at the same time, and the crowd thins out fast after dinner hour.
A free lot serves Cliffwood Beach Waterfront Park directly, which is more than most bayshore beaches in the area can say.
The boardwalk and park paths are flat and easy going, though the beach itself is a mix of sand and small stones rather than a smooth sand entry, so bare feet and strollers both need to watch their footing.
Like most of the Raritan Bayshore, the water stays calmer and a few degrees warmer than the ocean beaches to the east, climbing into the mid to upper 70s by late summer. Fall brings some of the clearest skyline views once the humidity breaks.
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