Raritan Bayshore
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The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is the area around Raritan Bay from the The Amboys to Sandy Hook.
The Sadowski Parkway beach area in Perth Amboy, which lies at the mouth of the Raritan River was deemed the "Riviera of New Jersey" by local government, although swimming is still currently prohibited in that area. The first public beach that allows swimming is at Morgans Inlet at Laurence Harbor. Once, beachgoers were able to swim as far north as Boynton Beach in Sewaren on the Arthur Kill. The land was subsequently purchased and the area has become too polluted to swim. A waterfront park to the north of this has been recently constructed and many of the beaches to the south on the Bayshore are continually being improved and cleaned up.
The area from Keyport (called the "Pearl of the Bayshore") to the Highlands is the region formally referred to as the Bayshore. Small seaside towns such as Highlands, Keyport, Keansburg and Atlantic Highlands dot the south shore of Raritan Bay. Keansburg and Sandy Hook are the most visited beaches (Sandy Hook because of its uninterrupted and undeveloped beaches and Keansburg because of its amusement park and beaches). The Henry Hudson Trail is a bicycle trail, which runs parallel to the southern shore of Raritan Bay.
The Bayshore area is mostly flat areas of beach, with the exception of the hills between the Navesink River and Sandy Hook Bay. Mount Mitchell is a two-hundred and sixty six foot hill in Atlantic Highlands. It is the largest coastal elevation on the east coast from Maine to the Yucatan Peninsula. To the east of Mt. Mitchell are the Twin Lights Lighthouse of Highlands. It has unobstructed views of Sandy Hook and the New York City skyline. Hartshorne Woods Park is also located in these hills to the south on the banks of the Navesink River.
