Parvin State Park in southwestern New Jersey lies on the edge of the Pine Barrens, where pine forest, hardwood forest, and swamp meet around Parvin Lake, Thundergust Lake, and Muddy Run. This ecological transition creates unusually diverse habitats, including a 465-acre natural area with white cedar swamp, pine and oak forest, at least 50 tree species, rare plants such as endangered swamp pink, and especially rich birdlife with more than 180 recorded species. The area also preserves a long human history, from nearby Lenape encampments and early European settlement to Lemuel Parvin’s 1796 mill dam, Civilian Conservation Corps development, and wartime and postwar refugee uses.