Round Valley Recreation Area
Managed by NJDEP
3,944 acres17.4 mi of trail
Cushetunk TrailCampground TrailBlue TrailPine Tree Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto West AreaWebsite ↗
Photo: John Bohnel · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Clinton Township
37% of Clinton Township’s land is conserved: 7,116 acres
6,178 acres are parks and preserves, 463 per 1,000 residents. 33 miles of mapped trail cross Clinton Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Round Valley Recreation Area (17.4 mi), Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve (2.8 mi), Echo Hill Park (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #83 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
37%
7,116 acres · of 29.9 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,178 ac
463 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.4 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 0.6 mi paths
Highest peak
833 ft
Cushetunk Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Clinton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clinton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clinton Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #83 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Clinton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land37% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land463 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,178 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home78% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 82%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Clinton Township’s 37% is ahead of 91% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% of them.
Water is 12% of Clinton Township’s area (4 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 33%.
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 Round Valley Recreation Area, with 17.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve
Managed by Hunterdon County
197 acres2.8 mi of trail
White TrailYellow TrailBlue
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Echo Hill Park
Managed by Hunterdon County
86 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bray's Hill Preserve
Managed by Clinton Township
93 acres1.1 mi of trail
Red Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Round Valley Recreation Area3,944 acres · 17.4 mi of trail · NJDEP
DirectionsCushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve197 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Hunterdon County
DirectionsEcho Hill Park86 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Hunterdon County
DirectionsBray's Hill Preserve93 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Clinton Township
DirectionsHunterdon County Arboretum134 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Hunterdon County
DirectionsSpruce Run Recreation Area128 acres
DirectionsKen Lockwood Gorge25 acres
Voorhees State Park7 acres
Who protects it
7,116 conserved acres
37% of Clinton Township’s land. Water is left out: Clinton Township has 29.9 square miles of land and 4.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clinton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources4,157 ac
County1,279 ac
Town or city920 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government780 ac
Other state land767 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits208 ac
Private owners51 ac
State Recreation Area · 4,149 acAgricultural Easement · 1,993 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,052 acLocal Other or Unknown · 450 acUnknown Easement · 356 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,323 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 18 of 101 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round Valley Reservoir State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2,207 | Open |
| Round Valley Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,723 | Open |
| Windy Acres Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 288 | Open |
| South Branch River Reserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 254 | Open |
| Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 230 | Open |
| Spruce Run Reservoir State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 201 | Open |
| Clinton Township Agriculture Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 170 | Open |
| Echo Hill Environmental Center Local Conservation Area | County | 114 | Open |
| Clinton Township Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Clinton Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 87 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Clinton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clinton Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Clinton Township
Field of Dreams Playground
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Clinton Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Clinton Township
Cushetunk Mountain833 ft elevation · In Round Valley Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Clinton Township
Babtist Camp and Conference Center
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 15.2 miHorses · 11.4 miUnpaved · 13.5 mi
Cushetunk Trail8.1 mi
Campground Trail3.2 mi
Creek Side Trail White Blaze1.7 mi
The Lost Bike1.1 mi
White Trail1.1 mi
Red Trail1.1 mi
Blue Trail1.0 mi
Pine Tree Trail0.7 mi
Foran Trail0.7 mi
Yellow Trail0.6 mi
7 more trails
Backstroke Trail
0.5 miWindy Acres White Blaze
0.4 miConnector
0.4 miUnmarked
0.3 miDyke Access
0.1 miBlue
0.1 miCabin Spur
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Baseball
8Soccer
6Tennis
3Basketball
2Football
2Field hockey
2Equestrian
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Clinton Township: April to June and August
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 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Clinton Township →
Next door
Clinton Township and its neighbors
Clinton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lebanon Township37 miClinton Township33 miReadington Township33 miTewksbury Township23 miRaritan Township8.9 miUnion Township7.7 miFranklin Township5.2 miClinton0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton Township | 37% | 1.1 | 463 | 78% | A+ |
| Franklin Township | 23% | 0.2 | 160 | 60% | A− |
| Union Township | 43% | 0.4 | 673 | 95% | A+ |
| Readington Township | 26% | 0.7 | 229 | 93% | A+ |
| Tewksbury Township | 21% | 0.7 | 300 | 77% | A |
| Clinton | 13% | 0.3 | 89 | 99%+ | A |
| Raritan Township | 15% | 0.2 | 105 | 64% | A− |
| Lebanon Township | 31% | 1.2 | 735 | 84% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clinton Township
Where can I hike in Clinton Township?
The longest trail networks: Round Valley Recreation Area, 17.4 miles; Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve, 2.8 miles; Echo Hill Park, 1.6 miles; Bray's Hill Preserve, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clinton Township is conserved land?
37% 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 Clinton Township’s trails?
Round Valley Recreation Area and Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Clinton Township?
3.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes and 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Clinton Township?
51,574 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clinton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,178 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clinton Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #83 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 Clinton 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 →