Bass River State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
19,038 acres101.4 mi of trail
Batona TrailCCC (Orange) TrailPush LineMartha Road (Batona Trail)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bass River Township
46% of Bass River Township’s land is conserved: 22,308 acres
710 acres are parks and preserves, 719 per 1,000 residents. 144 miles of mapped trail cross Bass River Township, 1.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bass River State Forest (101.4 mi), Wharton State Forest (8.4 mi), Oswego River Natural Area (3.2 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
46%
22,308 acres · of 75.1 sq mi of land
Trails
144 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
710 ac
719 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
5.0 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
15
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bass River Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bass River Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bass River Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bass River Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land46% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (144 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land719 acres of park per 1,000 residents (710 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home41% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Bass River Township’s 46% is ahead of 96% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to 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 Bass River State Forest, with 101.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wharton State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
2,195 acres8.4 mi of trail
Calico Road (Batona Trail)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Oswego River Natural Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
443 acres3.2 mi of trail
Martha Furnace Road / Batona Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
4,699 acres3.1 mi of trail
AT&T Row
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Absegami Natural Area
Managed by NDEP
123 acres0.9 mi of trail
Poppy Allen (Yellow) TrailAbsegami (Silver) TrailDump Road / Falkinburg (Purple) Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Penn State Forest
Nature preserve
125 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Bass River State Forest19,038 acres · 101.4 mi of trail · New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsWharton State Forest2,195 acres · 8.4 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsOswego River Natural Area443 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsJacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve4,699 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsAbsegami Natural Area123 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · NDEP
DirectionsPenn State Forest125 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge2,592 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBrigantine Wilderness97 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Who protects it
22,308 conserved acres
46% of Bass River Township’s land. Who manages Bass River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources18,757 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service5,187 ac
State fish & wildlife564 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits506 ac
Joint14 ac
Not recorded1,579 ac
State Resource Management Area · 20,202 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 5,187 acState Conservation Area · 690 acPrivate Conservation · 307 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 186 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 14 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 77 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 19,315 | Open |
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 5,187 | Restricted |
| Wharton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 738 | Open |
| Swan Bay Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 476 | Open |
| Wading River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 159 | Open |
| Penn State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 149 | Open |
| East Plains Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 130 | Unknown |
| East Plains Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 121 | Open |
| Oswego Gun Club Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 108 | Open |
| New Jersey Conservation Foundation Forest Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 71 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Bass River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bass River Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Bass River Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Bass River Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Bass River Township
Atlantic Shore Pines Campground
DirectionsBodine Field CampgroundFee · In Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
DirectionsButtonwood Campground
DirectionsChips Folly Campground
DirectionsGroup CampgroundFee · In Bass River State Forest · NJ State Park Service, Bass River State Forest
DirectionsNorth Shore CampgroundFee · In Bass River State Forest · NJ State Park Service, Bass River State Forest
DirectionsPilgrim Lake Camp GroundsRichard Hazard
DirectionsSouth Shore CampgroundFee · In Bass River State Forest · NJ State Park Service, Bass River State Forest
Directions1 more campground
Timberline Lake Campground
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 16.5 miHorses · 9.8 miUnpaved · 20.7 mi
Batona Trail3.4 mi
CCC (Orange) Trail2.7 mi
Push Line2.5 mi
Poppy Allen (Yellow) Trail2.2 mi
Martha Road (Batona Trail)2.1 mi
Falkinburg (Purple) Trail2.1 mi
Nisky (Green) Trail0.8 mi
Calico Road (Batona Trail)0.7 mi
Oswego Road (Batona Trail)0.7 mi
Joe's Trail0.6 mi
15 more trails
Phillip Road / Poppy Allen (Yellow) Trail
0.6 miNorth Shore (Blue) Trail
0.6 miConnector (Tan) Trail
0.5 miDump Road / Falkinburg (Purple) Trail
0.4 miCreek Loop (Red-dot) Trail
0.4 miRed / Orange / Green / Purple Trails
0.4 miWoodpile Road / CCC (Orange) Trail / Nisky (Green) Trail
0.3 miWoodpile Road / CCC (Orange) Trail
0.3 miAT&T Row
0.2 miPoor Mans Parkway
0.2 miAbsegami (Silver) Trail
0.2 miCalico Warren Grove Road (Batona Trail)
0.2 miSouth Shore (Red) Trail
0.2 miMartha Furnace Road / Batona Trail
0.2 miDump Road / Poppy Allen (Yellow) Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
CCC (Orange) TrailBike route
3.8 miPoppy Allen (Yellow) TrailBike route
3.1 miFalkinburg (Purple) TrailBike route
2.9 miCourts & fields
2Basketball
1Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bass River 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) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 45 | 52 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Bass River Township →
Next door
Bass River Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Woodland Township337 miWashington Township288 miBass River Township144 miLittle Egg Harbor Township93 miGalloway Township66 miPort Republic4.8 miMystic Island1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass River Township | 46% | 1.9 | 719 | 41% | A |
| Washington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Little Egg Harbor Township | 52% | 2.0 | 633 | 78% | A+ |
| Mystic Island | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Port Republic | 40% | 0.6 | 1,228 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Galloway Township | 36% | 0.7 | 118 | 64% | 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 Bass River Township
Where can I hike in Bass River Township?
The longest trail networks: Bass River State Forest, 101.4 miles; Wharton State Forest, 8.4 miles; Oswego River Natural Area, 3.2 miles; Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, 3.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bass River Township is conserved land?
46% 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 Bass River Township’s trails?
Bass River State Forest and Wharton State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bass River Township?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: CCC (Orange) Trail, Poppy Allen (Yellow) Trail and Falkinburg (Purple) Trail.
Is there public land near Bass River Township?
211,031 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bass River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,819 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bass River Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bass River 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 →