Six Mile Run Reservoir Site
Nature preserve
3,220 acres20.8 mi of trail
Creek TrailBlackwells TrailTwisty TrailUnmarked Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Franklin Township
26% of Franklin Township’s land is conserved: 7,727 acres
7,641 acres are parks and preserves, 111 per 1,000 residents. 58 miles of mapped trail cross Franklin Township, 1.3 per square mile of land. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #45 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
7,727 acres · of 46.2 sq mi of land
Trails
58 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,641 ac
111 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
30 mi
4.2 mi lanes · 25 mi paths
Highest peak
302 ft
Tenmile Run Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Franklin Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #45 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 Franklin Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (58 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land111 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7,641 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home96% 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 98%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 91%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Franklin Township’s 26% is ahead of 79% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 75% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, with 20.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
John Clyde Memorial Native Grassland Preserve
Managed by Franklin township NJ
177 acres3.3 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailBrown TrailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Griggstown native grassland preserve
Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve
Nature preserve
152 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
1,225 acres2 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 18 parks & preserves
Six Mile Run Reservoir Site3,220 acres · 20.8 mi of trail
DirectionsColonial Park375 acres · 7.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn Clyde Memorial Native Grassland Preserve177 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Franklin township NJ
DirectionsNegri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve152 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsDelaware and Raritan Canal State Park1,225 acres · 2 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsNaaman Williams Park14 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMiddlebush Park30 acres
DirectionsInman Park17 acres
DirectionsDelar Park8 acres
Castleton Park7 acres
DirectionsConsovoy Park6 acres
DirectionsDunham Lebed3 acres
DirectionsNassau Park2 acres
Rutgers Heights Park2 acres
DirectionsGuglielmo Marconi Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsBascom Park1 acres
Almond Drive Play Area1 acres
East Millstone Park1 acres · Franklin Township Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsWho protects it
7,727 conserved acres
26% of Franklin Township’s land. Who manages Franklin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,361 ac
County2,232 ac
Town or city2,209 ac
Other state land602 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits312 ac
State Department of Land115 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)68 ac
State Park · 3,351 acAgricultural Easement · 1,928 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,762 acLocal Park · 973 acLocal Recreation Area · 354 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,002 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 173 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Mile Run Reservoir Site State Park | State natural resources | 3,192 | Open |
| Franklin Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 808 | Open |
| Colonial Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 688 | Open |
| South Franklin Initiative Local Other or Unknown | County | 269 | Open |
| Hutchenson Forest Local Park | Not recorded | 262 | Open |
| Simonson Brook Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 237 | Open |
| Quail Brook Golf Course and Park Local Recreation Area | County | 198 | Open |
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park State Park | State natural resources | 160 | Open |
| Ten Mile Run Greenway Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 150 | Open |
| Lincoln Grove Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 128 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
64 places to go in Franklin Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Franklin Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Franklin Township
Colonial Park Splash ParkIn Colonial Park
DirectionsInman Park PlaygroundIn Inman Park
DirectionsMorgan J Pellowski Playground
DirectionsNassau Park Playground
DirectionsSomerset Mews Playground
DirectionsSomerset Park Playground
DirectionsWestminster Road Playground
DirectionsWhitehall Gardens Playground
Directions52 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Franklin Township
Resident only Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Franklin Township
Tenmile Run Mountain302 ft elevation
DirectionsBunker Hill184 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Franklin Township
Inman Park Picnic GroveIn Inman Park
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Franklin Township
CourtyardCentral Jersey College Prep Charter School
DirectionsFranklin Park Garden CooperativeFranklin Park Elementary School
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 22.3 miHorses · 20.7 miUnpaved · 24.5 mi
Creek Trail4.4 mi
Blackwells Trail4.4 mi
Red Trail2.9 mi
Blue Trail2.4 mi
Brown Trail2.3 mi
Twisty Trail2.0 mi
Unmarked Trail1.8 mi
Cedar Trail1.5 mi
Yellow Trail1.2 mi
Yellow trail0.7 mi
4 more trails
Orange Trail
0.7 miLois Howe Nature Trail
0.4 miYellow
0.3 miBlue trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
25 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
93Tennis
32Baseball
30Basketball
27Soccer
17Pickleball
4Football
2Equestrian
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
RockinghamBuilding · listed 1970
About itMeadows, TheBuilding · listed 1973
About itEast Millstone Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itGriggstown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itKingston Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itRiver Road Historic Rural DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itSix Mile Run Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About itTulipwoodSite · listed 2005
About itMiddlebush Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itSix Mile Run Reformed ChurchBuilding · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Franklin 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) | 40 | 43 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Franklin Township →
Next door
Franklin Township and its neighbors
Franklin Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Franklin Township58 miHillsborough Township45 miMontgomery Township27 miSouth Brunswick Township27 miNew Brunswick8.5 miGriggstown7.0 miEast Franklin0.7 miEast Rocky Hill0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | 26% | 1.3 | 111 | 96% | A+ |
| Montgomery Township | 27% | 0.8 | 165 | 99% | A+ |
| East Rocky Hill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hillsborough Township | 32% | 0.8 | 182 | 98% | A+ |
| New Brunswick | 8% | 1.6 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| South Brunswick Township | 19% | 0.7 | 96 | 96% | A |
| Griggstown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Franklin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin Township
Where can I hike in Franklin Township?
The longest trail networks: Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, 20.8 miles; Colonial Park, 7.5 miles; John Clyde Memorial Native Grassland Preserve, 3.3 miles; Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve, 3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin Township is conserved land?
26% 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 Franklin Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Franklin Township?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of painted or protected lanes, 25 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Franklin Township?
68,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,641 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Franklin Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Franklin 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 →