Great Swamp Wilderness
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1,246 acres2.1 mi of trail
White TrailYellow TrailBlue TrailOrange Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Gibbons, William, Stable and Farm · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Chatham Township
44% of Chatham Township’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Great Swamp Wilderness (2.1 mi), Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center (1.4 mi), Loantaka Brook Reservation (0.6 mi). 44% of Chatham Township’s land is conserved, about 2,559 acres. 1,110 acres are parks and preserves, 100 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
44%
2,559 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,110 ac
100 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.2 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 3.1 mi paths
Highest peak
413 ft
Long Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
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 Great Swamp Wilderness, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center
Managed by Morris County Park Commission
39 acres1.4 mi of trail
Orange TrailRed TrailGreen Trail
No dogs
Directionsto Chatham Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center
Loantaka Brook Reservation
Nature preserve
170 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
1,313 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Chatham Great Swamp Outdoor Education CenterWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Great Swamp Wilderness1,246 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsGreat Swamp Outdoor Education Center39 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Morris County Park Commission
DirectionsLoantaka Brook Reservation170 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Swamp National Wildlife Refuge1,313 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFenske Property (Chatham Twp Open Space)18 acres
Castle Playground2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,559 conserved acres
44% of Chatham Township’s land. Who manages Chatham Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,825 ac
County785 ac
Town or city384 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits48 ac
Not recorded575 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,825 acLocal Conservation Area · 921 acLocal Park · 255 acLocal Other or Unknown · 233 acLocal Recreation Area · 141 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 24 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 61 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,792 | Restricted |
| Loantaka Brook Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 708 | Open |
| Passaic River County Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 200 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 143 | Open |
| Platt Phase II Unknown | Not recorded | 103 | Unknown |
| Giralda Farms Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Chatham Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Shunpike Field Local Park | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Chatham Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Great Swamp Outdoor Education Local Other or Unknown | County | 41 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Chatham Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Chatham Township
Colony Pool Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Chatham Township
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Chatham Township
Long Hill413 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.9 miHorses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 4.5 mi
Green Village Pond Trail1.0 mi
White Trail0.7 mi
Orange Trail0.6 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Blue Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Trail0.3 mi
Green Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Tennis
7Baseball
4Soccer
2Football
1Basketball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Chatham Township: 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) | 9.6 | 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 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Chatham Township →
Next door
Chatham Township and its neighbors
Chatham Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harding Township45 miChatham Township13 miBerkeley Heights Township9.3 miSummit7.3 miMadison6.0 miNew Providence3.0 miChatham1.7 miGreen Village1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| New Providence | 12% | 0.8 | 19 | 99%+ | A |
| Berkeley Heights Township | 14% | 1.5 | 45 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Madison | 9% | 1.4 | 17 | 99%+ | A |
| Green Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Summit | 12% | 1.2 | 24 | 94% | A |
| Chatham | 16% | 0.7 | 25 | 99%+ | A |
| Harding Township | 53% | 2.2 | 188 | 75% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chatham Township
Where can I hike in Chatham Township?
The longest trail networks: Great Swamp Wilderness, 2.1 miles; Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 1.4 miles; Loantaka Brook Reservation, 0.6 miles; Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Chatham Township’s trails?
Great Swamp Wilderness and Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chatham Township?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 3.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chatham Township?
41,195 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chatham Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,110 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Chatham 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 →