New Jersey Shore

The New Jersey "Garden State" has the third-largest state park system in the country and is almost entirely bordered by water—the Atlantic Ocean (and the famous Jersey Shore) to the east, the Delaware River to the west, and the Delaware Bay to the south. Along the Hudson River run the famous Palisades, with its heart-stopping views of the Manhattan skyline. The Pinelands, a national Biosphere Reserve, is in the middle of the state: it's a sandy-soiled area with unique flora and fauna. Several mountain chains also run through New Jersey, including the Appalachians in the northeast and the Kittatinny Mountains along the northwest corner (from the New York border to the Delaware Water Gap).