Roosevelt Park
Managed by Middlesex County, NJ, USA
158 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: KForce at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Edison Township
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Edison Township
The biggest trail networks: Roosevelt Park (1.4 mi), Rutgers Ecological Preserve (1.3 mi), Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve (0.9 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Edison Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. 1,942 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #261 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
958 acres · of 30.1 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,942 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.9 mi
5.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Edison Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Edison Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Edison Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #261 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Edison Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,942 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% 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 82%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 44%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Edison Township ranks #173 on Outdoors.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Edison Township’s 5% is ahead of 25% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Roosevelt Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rutgers Ecological Preserve
Nature preserve
25 acres1.3 mi of trail
BlueWhiteYellowYellow-White
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Lot 111
Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve
Nature preserve
421 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Thomas A. Edison County Park
Park
170 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Edison State Park
Park
30 acres0.7 mi of trail
Menlo Park Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
North Edison Baseball and Softball Park
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 29 parks & preserves
Roosevelt Park158 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Middlesex County, NJ, USA
DirectionsRutgers Ecological Preserve25 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPeter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve421 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsThomas A. Edison County Park170 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsEdison State Park30 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPapaianni Park39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Edison Baseball and Softball Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSwales Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBernard Dwyer Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Paterniti Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Oak Tree Pond Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Ridge Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Edison Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSchenkmeyer Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Old Post Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Oak Tree Park32 acres · Edison Township
DirectionsKilmer Park11 acres
DirectionsDurand Cormaci Park6 acres
Dudash Park6 acres
DirectionsYelencsics Park5 acres
DirectionsEllmyer Park4 acres · Edison Township
Lindquist Park4 acres
Crestwood Park3 acres
Hale Park3 acres
DirectionsEdison Woods Park2 acres
Stephen J. Capestro Park2 acres
Stelton Park1 acres
DirectionsNevsky Park1 acres · Edison Township
Beatrice Parkway Park1 acres
Who protects it
958 conserved acres
5% of Edison Township’s land. Who manages Edison Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city792 ac
County88 ac
State natural resources72 ac
Joint31 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government27 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits18 ac
State conservation5 ac
Local Conservation Area · 558 acLocal Park · 266 acLocal Other or Unknown · 158 acLocal Recreation Area · 59 acState Other or Unknown · 55 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 72 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Road South Local Park | Not recorded | 335 | Open |
| Kents Neck Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 141 | Open |
| Edison Township Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Edith Stevens Memorial Wildlife Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Division of Parks and Forestry Unknown State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 55 | Open |
| Oak Ridge Park Local Recreation Area | County | 33 | Open |
| Dismal Swamp Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 32 | Open |
| Oak Tree Road Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Petti Farm Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Woodland Avenue Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
73 places to go in Edison Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Edison Township
Mark Polansky Park
Directions59 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Edison Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Edison Township
Edison Boat Basin
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Edison Township
Grove 1BIn Roosevelt Park
DirectionsGrove 1CIn Roosevelt Park
DirectionsGrove 2AIn Roosevelt Park
DirectionsGrove 2CIn Roosevelt Park
DirectionsGrove 3In Roosevelt Park
DirectionsOpen Grove 1In Roosevelt Park
DirectionsOpen Grove 2In Roosevelt Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Edison Township
Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf CourseIn Oak Ridge Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Edison Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miUnpaved · 9.4 mi
Menlo Park Nature Trail0.6 mi
Blue0.5 mi
White0.3 mi
Songbird Trail0.3 mi
Yellow0.2 mi
Yellow-White0.1 mi
Biking & sports
5.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
93Tennis
56Baseball
31Basketball
21Soccer
6Football
6Pickleball
5Softball
3Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Edison 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 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 43 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Edison Township →
Next door
Edison Township and its neighbors
Edison Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
East Brunswick Township35 miEdison Township24 miSayreville22 miPiscataway Township13 miWoodbridge Township11 miNew Brunswick8.5 miHighland Park6.8 miSouth Plainfield1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edison Township | 5% | 0.8 | 18 | 98% | A− |
| New Brunswick | 8% | 1.6 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Highland Park | 1% | 3.7 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Sayreville | 8% | 1.4 | 18 | 94% | A |
| Woodbridge Township | 5% | 0.5 | 9 | 94% | B+ |
| Piscataway Township | 3% | 0.7 | 20 | 93% | B+ |
| South Plainfield | 4% | 0.1 | 15 | 98% | B |
| East Brunswick Township | 20% | 1.6 | 56 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Edison Township
Where can I hike in Edison Township?
The longest trail networks: Roosevelt Park, 1.4 miles; Rutgers Ecological Preserve, 1.3 miles; Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve, 0.9 miles; Thomas A. Edison County Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Edison Township 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 Edison Township’s trails?
Roosevelt Park and Rutgers Ecological Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Edison Township?
5.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Edison Township?
50,735 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Edison Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,997 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Edison Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #261 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 Edison 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 →