Cape May, New Jersey
October 2020
The South Cape May Meadows Preserve is a part of The Nature Conservancy and has over 200 acres located at the southwest tip of the Cape May Peninsula. The Meadows is a globally renowned birding hot-spot and the peninsula acts as a funnel for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. The Preserve has dunes, freshwater wetlands, meadows, ponds, and a full mile of protected beach (another area of the Preserve is mentioned in my post titled, "A Walk in the Park"). It is estimated that the Preserve gets 90,000 visitors each year.
During our visit, we actually went twice (see the outfit changed photos below). The first time we went, my sister and I were not in the appropriate attire (missing comfortable sneakers). We did not go on the trail but we did have a mini photo shoot near the entrance. However, my mother (who had comfortable sneakers on) went ahead and was able to take some photos of the migrating butterflies (see the photos below). Later that day, we came back in the appropriate attire and went out on the trails. I highly recommend wearing comfortable sneakers and an outfit that you can move around in! The trail is unpaved and we walked through the meadows, past ponds, and past freshwater wetlands. We saw monarch butterflies and a variety of different birds. It was a beautiful nature walk! The trail that we took was not overly challenging but it was a little long and narrow at times. I enjoyed the views, especially the views of the Cape May Lighthouse. One thing that I thought was unique on this hike was the cargo like walkthrough structure that was over one of the ponds. While being inside, I felt like the structure was going to sink at any given moment but the risk was worth the up close views. Thankfully, the structure stayed in place and we were able to take a few pictures before we tested our luck any further. These trails are fairly popular and we did pass a decent amount of people during our walk. We felt that we were mostly able to keep a comfortable distance from others and we kept our masks on throughout the entire walk. This time of year is especially popular for bird watchers as the migrations are happening for many different species.
Overall, I would recommend this nature trail! I think that it is a good trail for those of all ages who can handle uneven grounds. I would recommend to avoid going during the heat of the day or to at least bring sunscreen, a hat, and/or sunglasses with you because it is in direct sunlight. I would also recommend bringing along water to avoid dehydration. You may want to bring bug spray with you as well, we did not but it would be perfectly acceptable to do so. I hope you enjoy the beautiful and serene trails that The South Cape May Meadows Preserve offers!
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