Overland Builders, Mechanics and 4x4 Shops in New Jersey

Why New Jersey drew a map of where you may drive, and now enforces it

New Jersey is 3.8 percent federal. The Congressional Research Service counts 183,084 federal acres of 4,813,440, with no Bureau of Land Management ground and no national forest anywhere in the state, and our build of the federal recreation database finds two federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach. Almost everything worth driving here belongs to the state, and the state has written down which roads you may use.

of New Jersey is federal land 1: 3.8%; 183,084 of 4,813,440 acres, with no BLM ground and no national forest
acres in the Pinelands National Reserve 31: 1.1M; 22 percent of the state, seven counties, 56 municipalities, and the first national reserve in the country
of legal road on the Wharton vehicle map 5: 270.2 mi; 175.5 unimproved, 37.2 more for in-season hunting access, 57.5 paved
acres in Wharton State Forest 6: 124,000+; The largest single tract of land in the New Jersey State Park System
High Point, the state high point 4: 1,803 ft; USGS, footnoted to state surveys, and the park agrees. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,802
tire diameter that bars you from state park land 7: 40 in; N.J.A.C. 7:2-3.2(e), which also bars more than two axles and every ATV
federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 2: 2; Both National Park Service, both booked ahead, none first come; our build of the federal recreation database
climate regions in one small state 35: 5; The Pine Barrens is its own: sandy soil drains fast, nights run cold, and the ground is vulnerable to forest fires

Sources for this page

Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, the site’s own build of it. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition: Highest and Lowest Elevations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Wharton State Forest Visiting Vehicle Use Map: about, enforcement, timeline and frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Wharton State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Jersey State Parks Code, N.J.A.C. 7:2 Subchapter 3, Motorized Vehicles, quoted in full by the Department. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. N.J.A.C. 7:2, State Park Service Code, courtesy copy: Subchapter 6 Camping, 7:2-5.4 and 7:2-2.12. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Park Service. New Jersey State Park Service Reservation Policy and General Camping Rules. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Island Beach State Park Mobile Sport Fishing Vehicle Permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Island Beach State Park. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Park Service. Island Beach State Park area map and visitor brochure. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Bass River State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Penn State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Belleplain State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Stokes State Forest, including Sunrise Mountain and seasonal road closures. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. High Point State Park and New Jersey Veterans’ Memorial. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Worthington State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Corson’s Inlet State Park, including mobile sport fishing permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. North Brigantine Natural Area, including mobile sport fishing permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection. Recreational fire permits and restriction stages. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife Management Areas. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Directions, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Touring Old Mine Road, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. NPS Announces Implementation of Winter Service Levels, Plowing Priorities. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Basic Information, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. 2026 permits, Gateway National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The Pinelands National Reserve, and its Size page. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Snowmobile, Dirt Bike, ATV and Agricultural vehicles: licensing, registration and where they may be used. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice. Guidance on Off-Road and All-Terrain Vehicle Use on Public Lands and Public Roads, 22 May 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. New Jersey Driver Manual: winter driving, studded snow tires, snow and ice removal and idling. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, Rutgers University. The Climate of New Jersey: the five climate regions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
New Jersey Department of Transportation, Community Programs. Pine Barrens Scenic Byway. Retrieved September 25, 2026.