In 2003, The Ocean County Board of Freeholders acquired the abandoned railway that ran from Barnegat to Beachwood, a distance of 13.6 miles. This railway was once the Toms River and Waretown Railroad (1870), later known as the New Jersey Central Railroad.

Since that time, the Rail Trail has been making steady process. Phase I runs from West Bay Avenue in Barnegat north to Waretown at Pancoast Road, a distance of 2 miles; Phase II runs 1.1 miles from Pancoast Road to Route 532 (Wells Mills Road) in Waretown. Phase III will run from Route 532 to the Waretown-Lacey Township line, and from Dudley Park to Serpentine Drive in Berkeley Township. Lacey Township lies between Waretown and Berkeley, but due to "political differences" construction of the Rail Trail here on Township property has been delayed. The Township wants to construct a roadway with a sidewalk along the railroad corridor instead of the gravelled Rail Trail. This has been strongly opposed by the Lacey Rail-Trail Environmental Committee (LRTEC), with many other conservation groups backing this worthy cause. Lacey Township owns about 4 miles of the former rail line. The areas to the north and south were acquired by Ocean County.

Eventually, the Rail Trail will terminate in Toms River through a series of proposed road and sidewalk connections. Waretown's Pancoast-to-Route 532 phase includes a future 1.65-acre trailhead site at Country Lane, which the County acquired in November 2006. Planning and site design has begun for this site, which will have parking, restrooms, an informational kiosk, and other amenities.

Looking east towards Route 9 from the bridge.

More of Lochiel Creek. Note the hardwoods in this area. Of course a number of cedars are in the area as well. These wetland areas should be very interesting come spring!