Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA crystal-clear spring-fed pond in the Pine Barrens said to be bottomless — local legend names it as the Jersey Devil's portal to Hell
Blue Hole Road, Winslow Township, NJ 08037
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No fee; located on public or state-managed Pine Barrens land. No formal facilities.
Access
Limited Access
Sandy Pine Barrens trail access; soft sandy soil typical of the region. The pond is accessible via a short walk through pine forest.
Equipment
Photos OK
Spring-fed pond with exceptional clarity unusual for Pine Barrens region · One of the most consistently referenced supernatural sites in NJ Pine Barrens legend tradition · Documented in Philadelphia Magazine, Shore News Network, and Wikipedia's Pine Barrens legends article
The New Jersey Pine Barrens contains numerous still-water bodies, most of them brown from tannic acid leached from the surrounding cedar swamps. The Blue Hole is exceptional. Fed by a natural artesian spring, its water is clear enough to see the sandy bottom at depth — which has generated both recreational use and the 'bottomless' legend that defines its paranormal reputation.
The pond sits near the Camden-Gloucester County line in what is generally identified as Winslow Township, Camden County. The access road, Blue Hole Road, runs through pine-and-oak forest typical of the interior Pine Barrens. There are no facilities; the site has never been formally developed as a park or recreation area, which preserves its isolation and contributes to its atmosphere.
Philadelphia Magazine documented the site in coverage of Pine Barrens legends, noting both the recreational use by local residents and the persistence of the supernatural reputation. Shore News Network, which covers the South Jersey coastal communities most familiar with Pine Barrens geography, has published multiple accounts of the site's legend. Wikipedia's article on Pine Barrens legends includes the Blue Hole as one of the region's canonical supernatural sites.
Swimmers and visitors report that the water temperature is significantly colder than surrounding ponds and streams, which is consistent with its artesian spring source. This physical characteristic feeds the legendary accounts of cold grabbing sensations felt by swimmers, though no documented drowning or disappearance at the site has been confirmed in the reviewed sources.
Sources
The Jersey Devil connection is the organizing legend. The creature — whose Leeds Point origin story is among the most durable in American regional folklore — is said to enter and exit the physical world through the Blue Hole's depths. The 'portal to Hell' framing appears in multiple documented accounts and gives the site its alternative name: Devil's Puddle.
The cold water is the central physical experience that fuels the legend. Artesian spring water maintains a relatively constant temperature year-round, which means it feels far colder than surface ponds in summer and is less cold than expected in winter — a disorienting quality that swimming visitors consistently remark on. Multiple independent accounts collected by Weird NJ and Shore News Network describe the sensation as something beneath the surface grabbing at legs or feet. No swimmer has reportedly been pulled under or drowned under circumstances attributed to the legend in the sources reviewed, but the sensation is consistently reported.
The 'bottomless' claim is physically overstated — the pond has a sandy bottom — but the spring source and water clarity create an optical effect that makes depth difficult to judge from above the surface. Paranormal investigators and informal visitors have documented electronic equipment behaving anomalously near the water's edge, and some accounts report an overwhelming sense of dread that discourages prolonged stays.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Blue Hole is a naturally occurring spring-fed pond roughly 70 feet in diameter, unusual for its exceptional clarity in the otherwise tea-colored Pine Barrens water table. Visitors wade and swim here during warmer months despite the cold water temperatures and the legends attached to the site. Its appearance makes it easy to see why a bottomless-lake legend took hold.
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