The National Park Service’s New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route was established by the United States Congress in 1988 to provide for public appreciation, education, understanding and enjoyment of significant natural and cultural sites associated with the coastal area of the State of New Jersey. It encompasses the area east of the Garden State Parkway from Perth Amboy on the Raritan Bay south to Cape May and along the Delaware Bay south of Route 49 to the vicinity of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.