Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
922 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Hornbaker Chelsi, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Beach Haven
7% of Beach Haven’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.9 miles of mapped trail cross Beach Haven, 0.9 per square mile of land. 36 acres are parks and preserves, 34 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
44 acres · of 1.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
36 ac
34 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.2 mi
3.2 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Beach Haven?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Beach Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Beach Haven is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Beach Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land34 acres of park per 1,000 residents (36 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Beach Haven’s 7% is ahead of 34% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% of them.
Water is more than half of Beach Haven’s area (1 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Parker's Island Bird Sanctuary
Nature preserve
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Veteran's Memorial Park
Park
3 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve922 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsVeteran's Memorial Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam L. Butler Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Borough of Beach Haven
DirectionsParker's Island Bird Sanctuary12 acres
DirectionsWalsh Field5 acres
DirectionsNelson Avenue Park2 acres
DirectionsWilliam Butler Park Annex1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
44 conserved acres
7% of Beach Haven’s land. Water is left out: Beach Haven has 1.0 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Beach Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city44 ac
Local Conservation Area · 17 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 acLocal Park · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Island Bird Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Public Beach Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Beach Haven Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Taylor Avenue Waterfront Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Public Park Playground Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Borough Ball Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bird Sanctuary / Parker Isl Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Restricted |
| Bay Beach And Swings Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Public Dock Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Beach Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Beach Haven
The Sea Shell Resort & Beach Club
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Beach Haven
Beach Haven PlaygroundIn William L. Butler Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Beach Haven
Beach Haven Municipal Boat RampIn William L. Butler Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
3.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
14Tennis
10Pickleball
3Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Beach Haven: 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 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 44 | 50 | 60 | 69 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Beach Haven →
Next door
Beach Haven and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Haven | 7% | 0.9 | 34 | 99%+ | A |
| Little Egg Harbor Township | 52% | 2.0 | 633 | 78% | A+ |
| Long Beach Township | 38% | 0.6 | 17 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Beach Haven
Where can I hike in Beach Haven?
The longest trail networks: Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, 0.1 miles; Veteran's Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Beach Haven is conserved land?
7% 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 Beach Haven’s trails?
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve and Parker's Island Bird Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Beach Haven?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Beach Haven?
31,307 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beach Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 36 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Beach Haven have?
Ahead of 92% 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 Beach Haven 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 →