North Wildwood Beach
North Wildwood, NJ
North Wildwood joins the rest of the Wildwoods in charging nothing at all for beach access, no tags, no wristbands, just sand and a boardwalk that runs along it. Dogs get an unusually generous window here too, allowed anywhere from 2nd to 26th Avenue except during the hours lifeguards are actually on duty.
A free beach with real dog access most of the day is genuinely hard to find this far south on the Jersey Shore, though the boardwalk crowds in peak summer can still be intense.
How we score beachesBring a dog outside the 9:30 to 5:30 lifeguard window and you've got a genuinely wide stretch of beach to use, far more generous than the narrow morning and evening slots most shore towns allow.
Street meters and public and private lots serve the beach, payable through the ParkMobile app.
The boardwalk is flat and paved along its length, with ramps down to the sand at regular points.
Dogs are allowed on the beach from 2nd to 26th Avenue at any time except during lifeguard hours, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A dog park with a permit requirement sits at 24th Avenue. Dogs aren't allowed on the Inlet section of the beach or on the boardwalk.
Water warms into the low to mid 70s by August, consistent with the rest of the Wildwoods. The free beach and generous dog hours make it an easy, low cost visit even at the height of summer.
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