Covering 1.1 million acres (4,500 km2), the New Jersey Pine Barrens are a heavily forested area in southern and central New Jersey. Even though it’s located in THE most densely populated state in the USA, it’s the largest open space between Boston, Massachusetts and Richmond, Virginia.

Beneath the Pine Barrens lies a vast underground lake known as the Kirkwood Cohansey formation, with 17 trillion gallons of aquifer containing some of the purest water in the United States. The Pine Barrens support a diverse spectrum of plant life like orchids and carnivorous plants. As a result of these factors, it’s been designated as a United Nation International Biosphere Reserve.

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Photo © 2008 by George Lin