Trip report
May 16, 2009 — Manasquan Reservoir County Park is a popular park for kayaking, biking, etc. The Monmouth County Park System does an excellent job maintaining these parks and trail systems. The primary trail for the park is the Manasquan Reservoir Perimeter Trail, which wraps around the entirety of the reservoir. It's a mostly flat, multi-use, and super well-beaten trail that passes a variety of New Jersey ecosystems: swamps, forests… suburbs. I started from the main parking lot on the south side of the reservoir near the visitor center.
A sign points to the start of the trail, and I decided to do the loop heading clockwise. The trail mileage markers go in this direction, so I assume it's the way the park system intended the trail to be hiked. After an initial straight section, the trail passes over a narrow land bridge separated by a bog on the left and the reservoir o the right. It continues through the forest and then passes by the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center. The hike then parallels Georgia Tavern Road as it heads north, nice views of the reservoir from here.
After leaving the noisy road again, the Perimeter Trail continues east through the woods, another long section of forested hiking. The remainder of the hike continues on a wide trail, weaving around the east side of the reservior, before leading back to the visitor center. Toward the end there is a split in the trail, where I recommend keeping to the right. This direction leads close to the reserovoir one more time, while the other option does not.