WILDWOOD, N.J. — It is about a third of a mile from the boardwalk, across the sand, to the ocean’s edge, an intimidating journey for anyone lugging young children, ample beach gear or when the hot summer sun sends sand temperatures scalding.

Dealt an abundance of space and sand, officials in Wildwood, N.J., have done what many towns up and down the Jersey Shore would consider unfathomable: turning part of its sizable beach space into sandy parking spots, even constructing a tunnel under the boardwalk to help cars reach the beach.

“This area could potentially park, I mean, thousands of cars,” Tom Miceli, supervisor of beach services for the City of Wildwood, said. “This is bigger than a mall parking lot, don’t you think?”

With the Memorial Day Weekend marking the unofficial start of the beach season, it also kicks off the perpetual battle over beach access in New Jersey, where towns along the 127-mile coast regulate parking spaces, meter rates, beach access points and, most contentiously, beach tag prices.