Maurice River Bluffs Preserve Photography And Video

Whether you're seeking to take some epic photographs, embark on a challenging hike with rewarding views, or enjoy a peaceful spot for birdwatching and observing wildlife, the Maurice River Bluffs promises an unforgettable experience that will leave you seeing Southern New Jersey in a whole new light.

The Trails are well maintained and there are four different loop trails that are easy to follow. "You Are Here" maps like the one below are located where the different trails meet each other.

Join me on my photographic journey.  Follow one of the trails, and you'll find yourself immersed in a landscape carved by both time and human hands. I just completed my third visit to this preserve and I hope you enjoy these photos. The photo opportunities include an abundance of wildlife, vegetation, beaches and the Maurice River itself. 

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1. Trees, Flowers, fungi

This first photo was surprisingly taken from the parking lot of the preserve. I was intrigued by this scene in several ways. The trees were all tall and straight and parallel, with only the scant remans of small branch stubs remaining. The sun was low in the sky and somehow penetrating through the woods and highlighting a few of the trees in front of me.

I came across these roses below shortly after passing the historic remains of a mansion on the blue trail-but more on that in a minute. The lighting was soft and the colors were brilliant.

The roses were leaning out toward the openness of the trail trail  from within the heavily wooded forest in search of the light.

Who says you can't get decent photos of  vegetation when using a lens that's intended for wildlife photography?  I chose a spot down the trail at an angle that gave me a darker background with good visual separation to photograph this pastelmountain Laurel.

You never know when you'll find interesting subjects to photograph at the preserve.

Here's another example of how you can use a long lens. Using my 100-400mm is typically is left for wildlife, birds, and sports photos. I got down low to the ground with my camera so that the background behind this mushroom was dark. I used a wide open lens setting  to get shallow depth of field and render the background pleasantly out of focus.

The lonesome mushroom popped up on the edge of the trail. It was backlit by the early morning sun with just a sliver of direct light striking the back of the stem.

2. Maurice River Bluffs Video

Watching this video below is a great way to get a good idea of what the bluffs preserve has to offer you. You'll see the various trails, the wildlife, the woods, the river, and the vegetation.  

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3. The Maurice River

I took this sunrise photo of the floating dock during my first visit to the Maurice River Bluffs in 2020. The river dumps into the Atlantic a few miles down stream in Heislerville, where more great photo opportunities are located.

There are no ocean waves to disrupt the river's surface and the current is usually quite tame, depending on the wind. This gives you the opportunity to shoot some reflection photography like the image below.

You'll find the dock above if you take the Blue Trail from the parking lot.

The higher elevation photo below was taken from the White Trail. I positioned myself so the trees framed in the main subject, in this case the picnic table.

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4. Maurice River Wildlife

I've seen the following wildlife during my two visits to the nature preserve on the Maurice River: turtle, gecko, deer, osprey, several other bird species, groundhog, and snakes.

I almost stepped on the box turtle below as I walked along the gravel road section of the blue trail near the stone house ruins.

I chose a wide open lens aperture in the box turtle photo so that the foreground and background would be pleasantly blurred.

Not a very artistic masterpiece, I included the photo of the hatched turtle eggs below. It was an exciting find for me as I had never witnessed such a thing before. The turtle shells reminded me of crushed Ping-Pong balls. 

We wandered along and met this guy crossing one of the open areas near the intersection of two trails.

Although I didn't see any live eagle activity, they are known to live in nests along the Maurice River, like this one shown below. You're more likely to see osprey and vultures.

This busy little fellow below was too busy to be bothered with me moving in closely for this photo. There were several bees doing their pollinating duties on these link flowers  near the sandy beach that parallels the white trail.

Adding a little humor to a serious message about discarding food or trash in this nature preserve, there are two stationary alligators.  One alligator of two that I photographed on one side of a small bridge, like several of the many small brides you may encounter as you hike the trails at the preserve.

Early in the morning, around dawn, I came across this shy deer chowing down on the grasses.  Once I took the time to switch over to my 100-400mm lens, I was only able to shoot a few frames, but it was fun while it lasted.

5. The Wheaton Mansion

Take the blue trail from the parking lot and walk a little ways past the open field and on the right you'll come across the remains of The Wheaton Mansion. The area is closed off for two reasons: safety of the visitors, and protection of some nesting condors.

The stone ruins of Wheaton Mansion, an 18th-century home, are a prominent feature of the Maurice River Bluffs Preserve's blue trail. The house, also known as the Wheaton House, was a popular spot for WWII soldiers to stop for meals. It was inhabited until the 1980s.

6. Maurice River Beach

In the sand along the river, artifacts including arrowheads and pottery have been found.

Follow the yellow trail and you'll see remains of loading docks and railroad tracks, leftovers from the days industrial use of the area.

A good place to explore if you want to enjoy the beach is to follow the white trail. You never know what photo opportunities will present themselves when you go to interesting places.

Summary

The Maurice River watershed includes a significant portion of the Pine Barrens, specifically the southern part of the coastal forested wetlands.

Forget everything you think you know about the flatness of the South Jersey landscape. Nestled along the steep banks of the nationally recognized "Wild and Scenic" Maurice River in Millville lies a hidden gem that defies the region's famously level terrain.

The Maurice River Bluffs Preserve offers a dramatic departure from the ordinary, boasting small, but impressive, rolling hills that provide breathtaking vistas of the winding waterway below. Here, nature and history intertwine, creating a captivating destination for photographers, hikers, birdwatchers, and anyone with a spirit of adventure.

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Map of Entire Maurice River

You can see by the map below that the river bluffs are just outside the city of Millville, NJ. The entrance to the preserve is off of Silver Run Road. The address is 1311 Silver Run Rd, Millville, NJ 08322. Google Maps, Wayz, and mapquest will all work well to get you there.

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