Dusenberry House · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.016% of Chatham’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. 16% of Chatham’s land is conserved, about 243 acres. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Chatham, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #135 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Chatham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Chatham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chatham is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #135 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Chatham’s 16% is ahead of 62% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
243 conserved acres
16% of Chatham’s land. Who manages Chatham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wuhula Woods Local Park | Not recorded | 121 | Open |
| Milton Avenue Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| NJ American Water Unknown | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Shepard Kollock Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| James and Perrin Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Lum Field Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Garden Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Hillside Avenue Conservation area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Stanley Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
9 places to go in Chatham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
0.5 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Chatham: 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) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 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 →
Chatham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | 16% | 0.7 | 25 | 99%+ | A |
| Summit | 12% | 1.2 | 24 | 94% | A |
| Millburn Township | 29% | 3.6 | 78 | 91% | A+ |
| Chatham Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Florham Park | 11% | 0.2 | 39 | 99% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chatham
How much of Chatham is conserved land?
16% 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 Chatham’s trails?
Memorial Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chatham?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Chatham?
33,919 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chatham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 238 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chatham have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #135 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 Chatham 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 →