Collected wild blueberries on the drive in. It was a beautiful autumn day as we wondered the wooded paths of the Winslow Wildlife Management Area. Need an suv or truck to get back here. Until we know for sure, the Blue Hole will continue to remain an enigma, its glassy, inviting surface cloaked in mystery and strangeness and its azure depths just as perplexing as they have always been. Can You Guess The New Jersey Shore Town From A Single Photo? Signs warning people against swimming in the Jackson Road blue hole can be found in the woods surrounding the shores. With this decidedly creepy reputation and atmosphere, it is perhaps no wonder that locals tend to stay away from the Blue Hole, and visitors are mostly thrill seekers looking for some glimpse of the strange or macabre. The color is very unusual, as most lakes and ponds in the area are brownish due to large deposits of bog iron and the presence of tannic acid. That someone recently drowned here still doesn’t seem to dissuade fun seekers. Copyright © Mysterious Universe. “It’s definitely a death trap for our children, for sure,” said Manchester mom Heather Harns. In the 1930s, the Blue Hole was a popular party and swimming spot. Locals still go to the area and use it as a party spot. Turn off your ad blocker to see a map of this trail, Piney Hollow Preservation and Unexpected Road, White Oak Branch WMA Annex Trail [CLOSED], Winslow WMA, West River Trail and Broad Lane, Jersey Central Lines: Fleming Pike to Wharton Avenue, D Daves Road and Sleepy Creek to Mullica River Campground, Railroad Avenue: Atsion Furnace to Beaver Dam, Winslow Fish and Wildlife Management Area. Some who have been lucky enough to escape its clutches have claimed that they actually felt something, perhaps the Jersey Devil himself, pulling them down into the chilly depths. In the 1930s the site was a popular picnic spot and swimming hole amongst the locals. Show the world your Jersey pride in some of these Jersey-centric goodies. “Going from say, 80 degrees to 50 or below. There are many other 'blue holes' in the immediate vicinity, as well as quicksand and other seasonal ponds and lakes that form from springs seeping from high water table levels. Sometimes the only sounds to be heard within the stifling silence that seems to blanket the area are the sudden, jarring booms of gun blasts from the nearby firing range. The quiet was soon shattered however, by the echoes of shotgun blasts from a nearby firing range which rang through the tranquil forest. Scientific rational does little to lessen the mysteries of this curious body of water though, which seem to run as deep as the Blue Hole itself. Length 0.5 mi Elevation gain 6 ft Route type Out & Back Nature trips Walking Forest Lake River Views Others refer to all of the crystalline turquoise lakes in the Pine Barrens as blue holes. Once again the Blue Hole quickly regained its ominous reputation, which has continued up to today. ©2020 NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is the Blue Hole of New Jersey and although it may seem like an inviting place to swim on a hot summer day, its dark history and sinister reputation should make anyone think twice, as should its alternative name “The Devil’s Puddle.”. Hear more audio stories HERE. When you watch the video below, you won’t believe it was shot in New Jersey… but gorgeous water holes exist in the Garden State, hidden in the Pine Barrens. “It can get anywhere from 60 to 100 feet. On occasion, they are all of the above. One thing you won't see is cars. Swimming and diving in the Blue Hole are both illegal, but not enforced. Can all of this be explained with rational, scientific answers, or is there something more mysterious at work here? Tags blue hole curse cursed places diving ghosts haunting mysterious places natural world New Jersey strange places underwater underwater ghosts. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission. Swimmers need only to wade in a few yards before they find themselves in water that can run to depths of 50 to 100 feet. It is thought that this could be because the hole is fed by groundwater rather than the nearby stream, and that this cold water is somehow filtered through rock, resulting in the clarity. Even the forest surrounding the hole was said to be prowled by various strange creatures and demonic spirits, which seemed somehow inexorably drawn to it. Some say that it is the result of a meteorite striking the Earth. It just looks like a huge swimming pool,” said Cliff Higbee. It is a somewhat jarring sight considering that most of the ponds of the area are stagnant pools of murky brown water due to rotting vegetation, suspended sediment, cedar-fed waterways, and a high content of iron and tannic acid, yet this particular pool remains completely clear, its glass-like surface reflecting the sky to become a sapphire blue gem among the trees. Blue Hole Trail – Winslow Wildlife Management Area – Winslow, Camden County, NJ Distance: 1.6 miles round trip Type: Out-and-back Difficulty: 3 of 10. The Jersey Devil has allegedly terrorized the region for nearly 300 years, and stories tell of the Blue Hole being its favored stomping ground, perhaps even the portal through which it passes into our world from whatever hell it emanates from as there have been accounts that describe seeing the creature actually entering and exiting the hole. This blue hole, along with many others, is located on private property and gated. There is also the odd, almost mystical appearance of the hole. Mysterious Universe is a property of 8th Kind Pty Ltd, Jousting Yard That Changed Henry VIII’s Life Found, Taking a Look at the Monstrous and Ghostly Beasts of Ireland, Astronomers Discover The Most “Hellish” Planet Ever, NASA Finally Communicates With Voyager 2 After Long Delay, Wearable Submarine to Hunt for Rad Computer, The Mysterious Ancient Walls of California, Mysterious Haunted Mannequin Head Scares Women in Singapore, Giant Humanoid, Sun Cross and Winged Object in the Sky. The surrounding wilderness is said to be prowled by ghosts and other strange apparitions which keep the Jersey Devil company. Google it. The surface of the Blue Hole was as still as glass, and a thermometer that we’d brought to measure its temperature read a chilly 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Grassmann Trust, the F.M. For those of you looking for the turquoise blue watering holes, they are illegal with $1000 fines because multiple deaths by drowning have occurred there, across varying ages & swimming abilities. A pingo is a small body of water which is the result of an ice mass which forms beneath permanently frozen soil during an ice age. What is it? The temperature drops suddenly, which can cause muscle cramping or shocks. Major funding for Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz provided by; RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group, and New Jersey Realtors. For another beautifully blue spot in the Garden State, see my previous post: New Jersey Has Its Own Bermuda Triangle…And It’s Eerily Beautiful. Get more stories delivered right to your email. It’s made from unpacked sand and you have collapses on different occasions,” said Manchester Mayor Ken Palmer. This reputation as a hostile, accursed place discouraged settlement of the immediate vicinity of the Blue Hole, and these early settlers gave it a wide berth.