In winter, small numbers of diving ducks including Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, and Common Goldeneye frequent the pond. In summer, pickerel, perch and sunfish abound (a fishing license is required), along with an array of dragonflies and damselflies. Bald Eagle may be spotted year-round, either flying over the pond or perched on a dead snag nearby. Birders should scan the fields adjacent to the pond for migrating shorebirds, Glossy Ibis, herons and Black-bellied Plover in spring and fall. Take precautions against chiggers, especially in late summer and early fall.

Pickle Factory Pond is a small lake located in Belleplain State Forest. It is a popular destination for hiking, fishing, birdwatching and paddling. The pond was named after a pickle factory that operated nearby in the 19th century.

Open daily from dawn to dusk. There is a small parking area just past the pond. Turf farm fields are private property, so be respectful of the owner’s property.

Belleplain State Forest is a magnificent tract of 22,000+ acres with perhaps the most diverse natural habitats found anywhere in New Jersey. Containing dense and open hardwood and pine forests, white cedar and hardwood swamps, tidal and non-tidal wetlands, grassy fields, and lakes, Belleplain provides a home to an amazing array of mammals, birds, reptiles, butterflies, insects, and fish. Human activity in the Forest centers on The Lake Nummy Recreational Area, with extensive campgrounds, picnic areas, swimming facilities, boating, well-marked hiking, bicycle, and horseback riding trails, and a network of paved and unpaved roads developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Lake Nummy, covering 26 acres, is a converted cranberry bog created by the CCC and named for the last Lenni Lenape Indian chief. At any time of the year, Belleplain will provide visitors with long-remembered encounters with nature.

From NJ-55 South: Follow NJ-55 South until it ends and becomes NJ-47. Follow NJ-47 for 2.5 miles and bear left onto NJ-347 when it splits and NJ-47 is to the right. Continue along NJ-347 for 5.5 miles and turn left onto CR-550/Spur/Hands Mill Road. (This turn is around a bend, just after you pass Hands Mill Pond.) Follow CR-550/Spur/Hands Mill Road for 3.25 miles to a Stop sign, and turn left. Turn right at the blinking light, and the entrance is located approximately 2 miles ahead on the right. The office is immediately to your right upon entering. You can also reach Belleplain from the Garden State Parkway Exit 17/Sea Isle City. Turn left at the end of the exit ramp toward US-9. Turn right onto US-9 and continue for 0.5 miles. Turn left onto CR-550 and proceed approximately 8.5 miles through the town of Woodbine. When you reach the stop sign with a market to your right, turn left and continue to the blinking light. Turn right onto CR-550. The entrance is 1.3 miles on the left, and the office is immediately on the right.

Forest open 24 hours a day. On-site parking is available. Most of the roads are paved, but following heavy rains in summer and snow in winter, four-wheel drive vehicles may be advisable on certain out-of-the-way unpaved roads in the Forest. From spring until frost, visitors who hike through the forest should be aware of the presence of chiggers and ticks and should bring insect repellent.

The trail around the pond is about 1.8 miles long and offers scenic views of the forest and the water. 

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Pickle Factory Pond.