Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
5,222 acres19.5 mi of trail
ATT LineDeadman LineKeith Survey Line of 1686
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: David Ames 1991 · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Barnegat Township
49% of Barnegat Township’s land is conserved: 10,659 acres
6,414 acres are parks and preserves, 255 per 1,000 residents. 51 miles of mapped trail cross Barnegat Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #12 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
49%
10,659 acres · of 34.2 sq mi of land
Trails
51 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,414 ac
255 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.1 mi
3.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Barnegat Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Barnegat Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Barnegat Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #12 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs put Barnegat Township near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Barnegat Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land49% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (51 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land255 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,414 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 98%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Barnegat Township’s 49% is ahead of 96% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
Water is 16% of Barnegat Township’s area (6 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 41%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Greenwood Forest WMA, with 19.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bass River State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
1,697 acres10.1 mi of trail
Michael T. Mangum Trail (white)Keith Survey Line of 1686Old Egg Harbor Road (blue)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Lochiel Creek County Park
Managed by Ocean County Parks & Recreation
206 acres2.2 mi of trail
White BlazesRed Blazes
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area
Managed by Ocean County Parks Department
91 acres1 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area5,222 acres · 19.5 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsBass River State Forest1,697 acres · 10.1 mi of trail · New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
Lochiel Creek County Park206 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Ocean County Parks & Recreation
DirectionsForked River Mountains Wilderness Area91 acres · 1 mi of trail · Ocean County Parks Department
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge3,272 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBarnegat Branch Trail13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBarnegat Preserve89 acres
Who protects it
10,659 conserved acres
49% of Barnegat Township’s land. Water is left out: Barnegat Township has 34.2 square miles of land and 6.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Barnegat Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service6,451 ac
State fish & wildlife5,116 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits676 ac
County670 ac
State natural resources561 ac
Town or city232 ac
Other state land150 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 6,451 acState Conservation Area · 5,266 acPrivate Conservation · 676 acState Resource Management Area · 572 acLocal Other or Unknown · 440 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 86 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 6,451 | Restricted |
| Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 5,108 | Open |
| East Plains Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 676 | Unknown |
| Bass River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 572 | Open |
| Cedar Bridge Tavern Local Other or Unknown | County | 289 | Open |
| Municipal Open Space Local Park | Not recorded | 157 | Open |
| Rose Hill Local Conservation Area | County | 146 | Open |
| Cloverdale Road Farm Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 114 | Open |
| Wells Mills Wilderness Area Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 113 | Open |
| Barnegat Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 86 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Barnegat Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Barnegat Township
Little BeachIn Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsShore Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Barnegat Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Barnegat Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Barnegat Township
Scrabble Pines Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.7 mi
Michael T. Mangum Trail (white)3.0 mi
Keith Survey Line of 16862.1 mi
ATT Line1.9 mi
White Blazes1.9 mi
Deadman Line1.4 mi
Old Egg Harbor Road (blue)0.3 mi
Red Blazes0.3 mi
Scuttle Court0.1 mi
Deep Six Court0.1 mi
Biking & sports
3.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Baseball
11Tennis
6Pickleball
4Basketball
4Soccer
3Football
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Mary Etta Cox HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Barnegat Township: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 51 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Barnegat Township →
Next door
Barnegat Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Woodland Township337 miLacey Township192 miStafford Township64 miBarnegat Township51 miOcean Township30 miLong Beach Township3.0 miHarvey Cedars0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnegat Township | 49% | 1.5 | 255 | 99% | A+ |
| Stafford Township | 62% | 1.4 | 347 | 92% | A+ |
| Ocean Township | 28% | 1.4 | 591 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Lacey Township | 63% | 2.3 | 994 | 93% | A+ |
| Harvey Cedars | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Long Beach Township | 38% | 0.6 | 17 | 98% | A |
| Woodland Township | 34% | 3.6 | 9,768 | 86% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Barnegat Township
Where can I hike in Barnegat Township?
The longest trail networks: Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, 19.5 miles; Bass River State Forest, 10.1 miles; Lochiel Creek County Park, 2.2 miles; Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Barnegat Township is conserved land?
49% of its land, against a typical 11% for a New Jersey town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Barnegat Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Barnegat Township?
3.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.0 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Barnegat Township?
160,001 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Barnegat Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,405 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Barnegat Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 of 468 in New Jersey. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Barnegat Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →