Higbee Beach
Lower Township, NJ
Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area closes to regular beach use for most of the summer, a deliberate tradeoff that protects nesting shorebirds and makes way for one of the best known monarch butterfly migration stops on the Eastern Seaboard each fall. Multiple trailheads off Higbee Beach Road and a lot on Sunset Boulevard lead in when it's open.
A genuinely significant wildlife site that draws birders and butterfly watchers from well outside the area, though the seasonal closures mean it's essentially off limits for a normal summer beach day.
How we score beachesVisit in September or October if butterflies are the draw. That's when the monarch migration through Cape May peaks, and Higbee is one of the best documented spots on the whole flyway to see it.
Free parking lots sit along Higbee Beach Road and at its end, plus another lot on Sunset Boulevard. Some lots close during the closure period in summer.
Trails from the parking areas lead through woods and dune to the beach, uneven underfoot in spots and not suited to strollers or wheelchairs.
Leashed dogs are permitted from September through April, when the wildlife management area is open to general use.
The bay side location means calmer water than the ocean beaches, though most visitors come for the birding and butterfly migration rather than swimming. Fall is the peak season here for exactly that reason.
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