Stokes State Forest
Nature preserve
1,141 acres8.6 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailAcropolis TrailBrink Road/Shelter Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sunrise Mountain parkingWebsite ↗
Photo: Jared Kofsky/PlaceNJ.com · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Frankford Township
Frankford Township has 2,247 acres of parks, 422 for every 1,000 residents
28% of Frankford Township’s land is conserved, about 6,076 acres. The biggest trail networks: Stokes State Forest (8.6 mi), Sussex County Fairgrounds (0.9 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Frankford Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #197 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
6,076 acres · of 33.9 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,247 ac
422 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
Highest peak
1,640 ft
Sunrise Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Frankford Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Frankford Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Frankford Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #197 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Frankford Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land422 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,247 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home67% 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 90%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 58%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Frankford Township’s 28% is ahead of 82% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 41% of them.
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 Stokes State Forest, with 8.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sussex County Fairgrounds
Park
125 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bear Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
1,516 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Papakating Creek Preserve
Managed by New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
175 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Hunt Lot 29Website ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Stokes State Forest1,141 acres · 8.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSussex County Fairgrounds125 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Swamp Wildlife Management Area1,516 acres · New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
Papakating Creek Preserve175 acres · New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
DirectionsWallkill River National Wildlife Refuge136 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsWho protects it
6,076 conserved acres
28% of Frankford Township’s land. Who manages Frankford Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,362 ac
County1,690 ac
State natural resources1,567 ac
State parks1,307 ac
Town or city920 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government783 ac
Other state land467 ac
State Resource Management Area · 3,758 acAgricultural Easement · 2,677 acState Conservation Area · 989 acUnknown Easement · 872 acLocal Park · 512 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,755 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 17 of 129 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,352 | Open |
| Stokes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 2,220 | Open |
| Sussex Branch Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 419 | Open |
| High Point State Park State Park | Not recorded | 373 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 305 | Open |
| Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 280 | Restricted |
| Frankford Township Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 237 | Open |
| Franklford Park Local Park | Town or city | 197 | Open |
| Papakating Creek Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 175 | Open |
| Kittatinny Valley State Park State Park | State natural resources | 130 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Frankford Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Frankford Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Frankford Township
Sunrise Mountain PavillonIn Stokes State Forest
DirectionsSunrise Moutain OverlookIn Stokes State Forest
DirectionsPlus 7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Frankford Township
Sunrise Mountain1,640 ft elevation · In Stokes State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miHorses · 3.6 miUnpaved · 13.3 mi
Appalachian Trail5.4 mi
Sussex Branch Trail2.3 mi
Great Valley Trail1.1 mi
Acropolis Trail0.9 mi
Brink Road/Shelter Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Sussex Branch TrailBike route
2.3 miGreat Valley TrailBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
6Baseball
4Tennis
4Equestrian
3Soccer
1Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Log Cabin and FarmDistrict · listed 1977
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Frankford Township: April and May
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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Frankford Township →
Next door
Frankford Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sandyston Township62 miWantage Township28 miFrankford Township18 miHampton Township17 miLafayette Township7.5 miRoss Corner1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankford Township | 28% | 0.5 | 422 | 67% | A |
| Sandyston Township | 76% | 1.5 | 3,987 | 63% | A+ |
| Hampton Township | 40% | 0.7 | 860 | 93% | A+ |
| Wantage Township | 33% | 0.4 | 419 | 47% | A− |
| Ross Corner | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lafayette Township | 21% | 0.4 | 383 | 77% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Frankford Township
Where can I hike in Frankford Township?
The longest trail networks: Stokes State Forest, 8.6 miles; Sussex County Fairgrounds, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Frankford Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Frankford Township’s trails?
Stokes State Forest and Sussex County Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Frankford Township?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Sussex Branch Trail and Great Valley Trail.
Is there public land near Frankford Township?
125,070 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Frankford Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,598 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Frankford Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #197 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 Frankford 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 →