Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
897 acres2.3 mi of trail
deCamp Wildlife Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Brick Township
14% of Brick Township’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
14% of Brick Township’s land is conserved, about 2,338 acres. The biggest trail networks: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (2.3 mi). 1,942 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #225 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,338 acres · of 25.6 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,942 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.7 mi
3.5 mi lanes · 4.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
11 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Brick Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brick Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brick Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #225 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brick Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,942 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 52%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Brick Township’s 14% is ahead of 57% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% of them.
Water is 21% of Brick Township’s area (7 of 32 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Birchwood Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge897 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsLake Rivera Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAngela M. Hibbard Park5 acres
DirectionsBirchwood Park5 acres
Brick Beach Park2 acres · Brick Recreation
DirectionsWho protects it
2,338 conserved acres
14% of Brick Township’s land. Water is left out: Brick Township has 25.6 square miles of land and 6.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brick Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,802 ac
Town or city895 ac
County481 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government41 ac
Other state land25 ac
State natural resources24 ac
Not recorded171 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,802 acLocal Conservation Area · 856 acLocal Recreation Area · 347 acLocal Other or Unknown · 124 acLocal Park · 115 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 87 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 | 1,802 | Restricted |
| Forge Pond Park and Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 206 | Open |
| Joe Pal Airport Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 199 | Open |
| Saw Mill Pond Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 170 | Open |
| unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 122 | Open |
| Ocean County Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | County | 75 | Open |
| Beaver Dam Creek Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Lake Riviera Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Brick Township Athletic Facility Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Brick Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 52 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Brick Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Brick Township
Plus 8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Brick Township
15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Brick Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Brick Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.8 mi
deCamp Wildlife Trail1.2 mi
Biking & sports
7.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
26Baseball
17Basketball
17Tennis
7Soccer
2Softball
2Skate park
2Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Brick Township: April to July
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 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 44 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 79 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Brick Township →
Next door
Brick Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wall Township65 miHowell Township40 miToms River Township31 miBrick Township11 miLakewood Township8.8 miAllenwood1.2 miPoint Pleasant1.2 miRamtown0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick Township | 14% | 0.4 | 26 | 96% | A |
| Lakewood Township | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Wall Township | 13% | 2.1 | 165 | 95% | A+ |
| Allenwood | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Point Pleasant | 2% | 0.3 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Toms River Township | 9% | 0.8 | 31 | 77% | A− |
| Howell Township | 14% | 0.7 | 112 | 92% | A |
| Ramtown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brick Township
Where can I hike in Brick Township?
The longest trail networks: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, 2.3 miles; Lake Rivera Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brick Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Brick Township’s trails?
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Rivera Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brick Township?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes and 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brick Township?
35,481 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brick Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,977 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brick Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #225 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 Brick 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 →