The first of New Jersey's state forests, Bass River State Forest was acquired by the New Jersey Legislature in 1905 for public recreation, water conservation, and wildlife and timber management. The lands were once occupied by the Absegami, a branch of the Lenape tribe of Native Americans in the United States.
Lake Absegami
The 67 acres (0.27 km2) Lake Absegami, created in the 1930s, provides swimming, boating and canoeing.
Absegami Natural Area
A trail through the 128 acres (0.52 km2) Absegami Natural Area provides access to a pine/oak woods and a small Atlantic white cedar bog, also containing red maples and magnolias. The Absegami self-guided trail is 0.5 miles (0.80 km) in length.[2]
West Pine Plains Natural Area
The 3,830 acres (15.5 km2) West Pine Plains Natural Area preserves a pygmy forest, a globally rare stunted forest ecosystem consisting of pine and oak trees that reach a canopy height of as little as four feet at maturity. The forest supports the endangered broom crowberry and twelve rare species of moth.
