History and Ecology: A Guide to South Cape May Meadows Preserve

(3 reviews)

Cape May, New Jersey audio tour: History and Ecology: A Guide to South Cape May Meadows Preserve

This is a 1.2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 30 mins to complete.

Cape May, New Jersey

The United States

Free

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About the Tour

New Jersey’s South Cape May Meadows Preserve supports a wide variety of indigenous flora and fauna across its 200 acres. On this circular walking tour, you’ll learn about the area’s rich ecology. You’ll also hear about its captivating history and restoration.

This walking tour winds through freshwater wetlands and a protected beach, revealing the remarkable story of South Cape May. You’ll discover how a once-vibrant Victorian beach town was claimed by the sea, and how The Nature Conservancy has transformed this landscape into a protected habitat for countless species.

Sweeping views of the Cape May Lighthouse provide a stunning backdrop to your journey. Carefully placed benches invite moments of quiet reflection, allowing visitors to absorb the preserve’s inherent beauty and ecological significance.

Along this one-and-a-half-mile route, you’ll:

Learn about the developers who sought to make this area a tourist hub, only to be thwarted by economic downturns and relentless coastal storms
Spot flowering plants like the Marsh Seabane, the Seaside Goldenrod and the Blue Mist Flower
Identify migratory and resident bird species, like the Piping Plover, Least Terns and the American Oystercatcher
Learn about conservation efforts in the freshwater eco-systems
Explore the maritime forest, keeping an eye out for deer, foxes and otters
Discover the floating bird viewing pier and the unique observation platform
Understand the importance of ongoing scientific studies like The Owl Project

This 30-minute tour offers something for every nature enthusiast. Whether you’re a serious birder, casual wildlife observer, or simply seeking a peaceful outdoor experience, South Cape May Meadows promises an unforgettable journey through one of New Jersey’s most remarkable natural landscapes.

The Nature Conservancy invites you to explore a unique ecological sanctuary nestled along the Atlantic Flyway, where rare plants, diverse wildlife, and rich environmental history converge.

Tour Producer

The Nature Conservancy In New Jersey

3 tours

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters on which all life depends, and for more than 60 years, we’ve been working in New Jersey to do just that.

Preview Location

Location 8

Wildlife of South Cape May Meadows.

When you get to the intersection, take a left onto the East Trail.

[3 second pause]

Please stop here.

While you have already learned that this preserve is a haven for birds, many other wildlife call South Cape May Meadows home and make use of its bountiful resources... When you get to the intersection, take a left onto the East Trail.

[3 second pause]

Please stop here.

While you have already learned that this preserve is a haven for birds, many other wildlife call South Cape May Meadows home and make use of its bountiful resources. The areas of the preserve where trees and shrubs transition to wetland is a great place to hear frogs calling, especially spring peepers! From March to May, the males’ chorus—high-pitched single whistles repeated at about one-second intervals—fill the preserve. From May to July, you’ll most likely hear the bellowing call of American bullfrogs, the largest species of frog in the United States. Southern gray treefrogs can be spotted perched on horizontal tree branches, while Fowler’s toads and American toads can be found crossing the preserve’s paths. Watch your step during the spring months, it’s a busy time of year for frog and toad crossings!

The trees, tall wetland grasses, and native plants at this preserve make for excellent hunting perches for dragonflies. Many species of dragonflies will rest on branches or plants until they detect their prey. At South Cape May Meadows, dragonfly and damselfly numbers peak during June and July. Exciting species like Halloween pennants, ebony jewelwings, and widow skimmers are known to zip through the preserve.

The trees and shrubs of the maritime forest, including pitch pine, scrub oak and eastern red cedar, provide cover for larger animals who make their home in the preserve or pass through as part of their wider range. Red foxes, coyotes, racoons, and white-tailed deer are just a handful of the mammals that use this habitat.

Let's continue while I tell you more. Keep going straight.

The footbridges over the preserve’s channels are a great place to see muskrats, great blue herons, egrets and turtles, so be sure to look down into the water and along the edges. On a sunny day, red-bellied and eastern-painted turtles will sun on the wetland edges. Most turtle species engage in sunning to help regulate their body temperatures and metabolism.

In addition to beach-nesting birds in the summer, the beach and shallow waters offshore provide viewing of dolphins in the summer and fall, and seabirds including scoter and loons especially, through the winter. The beach blooms with seaside golden rods in the fall providing food for monarch butterflies, which migrate through the preserve annually on their journey to wintering grounds in Mexico.

Keep going straight towards the floating bird blind. Read More

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Major Landmarks

South Cape May Meadows
South Cape May Meadows Path
Bird Viewing Blind Pier
Observation Tower

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
692 Sunset Blvd, Cape May, NJ 08204, USA
Total distance

2km
Final location
692 Sunset Blvd, Cape May, NJ 08204, USA
Distance back to start location

82.71m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins near the visitor welcome shed, at the southern most end of the parking lot just beyond the entrance arbor. The first stop is in front of the greeting shed. Pause there for a moment to listen to the entire audio clip. Then proceed towards the main trail entrance, which is down the crushed stone path to the right of the shed.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

This tour takes you along the South Cape May Meadows Path. You'll be able to pause at the Bird Viewing Pier and the Observation Tower. Feel free to stop at any point to take in the sights and sounds around you.

Best time of day

While this tour is available year-round from dawn to dusk, the best times of year to complete this tour are from May to October. For the best bird activity, take this tour during peak migration times; in the spring, May and early June; in the fall, early September through late October. Consider taking this tour in the morning when the birds are most active. To experience the swamp rose mallow blooms, visitors should take this tour during mid-to-late July. For a chance at spotting the iconic monarch butterfly, plan to take this tour during early September to mid-October.

Precautions

Be sure to bring headphones to enjoy this tour. During the summer, visitors may want to consider packing sunscreen and water.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

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Questions and Reviews

5 / 5

3 Ratings

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