Gone Hikin': Ocean City, NJ - Pleasantville to Somers Point Bike Path and Route 52 Bridge Trail

Friday, July 31, 2026

Ocean City, NJ - Pleasantville to Somers Point Bike Path and Route 52 Bridge Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:

Pleasantville to Somers Point Bike Path - TrailLink

Route 52 Bridge Trail - TrailLink

Biking Ocean City, NJ

Corson's Inlet State Park - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Bike Trails in Ocean City - Ocean City, NJ

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 39.37402, -74.54636

Parking at Jackson and Fuae Avenues in Northfield.

TRAIL MAPS:

Ocean City Bike Route Map - Biking Ocean City, New Jersey

Corson's Inlet State Park Map - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

BIKE DISTANCE: 33.7 miles

THE BIKE:

I never go to the shore in the summer. Crowds are not my thing. I figured I might get a bike in before the weekend crowds arrived if I took a Friday off work and got there really, really early. It was still crowded by my standards but based on the bumper to bumper traffic inching along all the way down the Garden State Parkway at 2 PM on my way home, it probably wasn't that crowded at all.

Heading south on the bike path.

There are many, many, many road crossings and all have signs that say to dismount and walk bikes across. Ninety percent of them are 4-way stops with no cars in sight so it's kind of ridiculous to walk across and nobody does. There are a few busy ones where you have to stop but they are obvious.

I did notice ...

... none of the e-bike riders I saw throughout the day got the memo. Hopefully the new law will have consequences for those who ride e-bikes like total idiots.

In Somers Point the bike path nears the end and becomes a patchwork of alternate paths. I found them easy to follow going to the bridge but coming back not so much. But it's all good, not hard to find your way back to the bike path with an app that shows where it is.

Then it is under the bridge ...

... and on to the Route 52 Bridge Trail.

This bridge goes all the way over to the horizon.

Heading towards the Welcome Center where there are nice restrooms.

Great Egret

There is also an upper level at the Welcome Center ...

... for better views.

After I retrieved my hike and started to continue I ran into a photographer with one of those huge lenses and asked him if he had seen anything interesting. He said to look at the ponds below.

And indeed, TONS of birds. This is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron.

Just to the right of the juvenile was the supervising adult napping on the job.

Some more of the juveniles at a small pond.

Here we have a juvenile tricolored heron on the left and the adult on the right.

And then, HOLY SMOKES, my first ever white ibis sighting. This one was on a nest with eggs but I am thinking this might be kind of late in the season to be hatching eggs?

The white ibis where everywhere.

Literally everywhere.

There are two photographers with the huge lenses ...

... photographing this juvenile tricolored heron.

Then on into Ocean City.

I had plotted out my route in Gaia based on this map but I still found it very confusing to find my way around but traffic was light so I was able to pull over and look at my route on the phone often.

It was a variety of roads heading to the start of the boardwalk.

And here we are at the beginning of the boardwalk at the end of St. James Place.

Bikes are allowed on the boardwalk from 5 AM to noon in the summer.

The boardwalk ends at 2.5 miles where I locked my bike ...

... and walked over for an ocean view.

Then back on the road for again a variety of bike route types heading to Corson's Inlet State Park.

Everything you read says Haven Avenue is the best north/south route but the problem is it is not continuous and you have to keep going on busy Bay Avenue until you can get back to Haven Avenue again.

This is the path to Crook Horn Creek.

I believe it is about 3/4 of a mile long but couldn't get to the end of it.

This would be why. The grass on the left is also in standing water so there was no way to continue on.

I walked to where I could get some views.

More white ibis!

Continuing on.

Corson's Inlet State Park is on the left just before the bridge.

And to the left in the parking lot an opening in the guardrail ...

... to a .4 mile long rail trail. Can't see anything from the trail and it's a bit overgrown. My hand brushed against the vegetation and I got several thorns stuck in my fingers. Had to wait until I got back to the parking lot to remove them because the biting flies were so bad I could not stop on the trail.

Thorns removed and heading back to the Route 52 bridge. There were a couple of other trails I wanted to hike but it was getting hot and with all of the biting bugs on the rail trail I decided to pass.

A very short bike path ...

... along a wildlife refuge. There is a boardwalk and viewing platform but it's over on busy Bay Avenue and I did not feel like going there now that I was on a continuous stretch of much quieter Haven Avenue.