Photo: Jared Kofsky/PlaceNJ.com · CC BY-SA 3.05% of Caldwell’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. 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Caldwell, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Grover Cleveland Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #324 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Caldwell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Caldwell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Caldwell is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #324 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Caldwell’s 5% is ahead of 26% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Grover Cleveland Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grover Cleveland Birthplace
37 conserved acres
5% of Caldwell’s land. Who manages Caldwell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 24 | Open |
| Kiwanis Oval Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Grover Cleveland Birth Place Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State natural resources | 2 | Open |
| Knollwood Hollow Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hilltop Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
| Bird sanctuary Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Dougherty Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Caldwell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Caldwell: April to September
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Caldwell →
Caldwell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell | 5% | 0.8 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| West Caldwell Township | 19% | 1.7 | 57 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Essex Fells | 14% | 1.4 | 58 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Caldwell | 6% | 1.0 | 17 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Caldwell
Where can I hike in Caldwell?
The longest trail networks: Grover Cleveland Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Caldwell is conserved land?
5% 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 Caldwell’s trails?
Grover Cleveland Park and Grover Cleveland Birthplace don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Caldwell?
31,631 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Caldwell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 39 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Caldwell have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #324 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 Caldwell neighbors.
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 →