Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
277 acres3.9 mi of trail
Yellow TrailOrange TrailGnome Hollow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Frelinghuysen Township
Frelinghuysen Township has 1,380 acres of parks, 646 for every 1,000 residents
35% of Frelinghuysen Township’s land is conserved, about 5,230 acres. The biggest trail networks: Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve (3.9 mi), Gnome Hollow Preserve (2.2 mi), Jenny Jump State Forest (2 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Frelinghuysen Township, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
35%
5,230 acres · of 23.6 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,380 ac
646 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
679 ft
High Rocks
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Frelinghuysen Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Frelinghuysen Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Frelinghuysen Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. 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 Frelinghuysen Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land35% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land646 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,380 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home66% 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 93%
LessMore
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Frelinghuysen Township’s 35% is ahead of 88% 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 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 Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gnome Hollow Preserve
Nature preserve
132 acres2.2 mi of trail
Gnome Hollow TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jenny Jump State Forest
Nature preserve
454 acres2 mi of trail
Ghost Lake Trail (Teal)Orchard Trail (White)Jenny Jump Trail (Light Blue)Summit Trail (Tan)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Greendell Ridge Preserve
Nature preserve
21 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 5 parks & preserves
Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve277 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
Gnome Hollow Preserve132 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJenny Jump State Forest454 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsGreendell Ridge Preserve21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMcDonald Marsh Preserve2 acres · Ridge and Valley Conservancy
Who protects it
5,230 conserved acres
35% of Frelinghuysen Township’s land. Who manages Frelinghuysen Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,193 ac
Other state land1,922 ac
County1,857 ac
Town or city1,500 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,437 ac
State parks464 ac
State natural resources454 ac
Agricultural Easement · 5,835 acPrivate Conservation · 2,635 acState Conservation Area · 1,370 acState Resource Management Area · 911 acLocal Conservation Area · 159 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,829 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 44 of 203 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnsonburg Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,295 | Unknown |
| Bear Creek Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 1,287 | Open |
| Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 958 | Open |
| Jenny Jump State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 850 | Open |
| Gnome Hollow Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 264 | Open |
| Frelinghuysen Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 159 | Open |
| White Lake Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 122 | Open |
| Paulinskill Valley Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 117 | Open |
| Greendell Ridge Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 64 | Open |
| Warren County - Farmland 39 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 54 | Closed |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Frelinghuysen Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Frelinghuysen Township
Foursquare
DirectionsFoursquare
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Frelinghuysen Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Frelinghuysen Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Frelinghuysen Township
High Rocks679 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.8 miHorses · 2.2 miUnpaved · 10.4 mi
Paulinskill Valley Trail2.2 mi
Gnome Hollow Trail2.0 mi
Ghost Lake Trail (Teal)1.0 mi
Yellow Trail0.7 mi
Glenn Weiss Loop Trail0.6 mi
Connector Trail0.5 mi
Orchard Trail (White)0.5 mi
Orange Trail0.4 mi
Jenny Jump Trail (Light Blue)0.3 mi
Summit Trail (Tan)0.1 mi
1 more trails
Swamp Trail (Red)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route)Bike route
2.2 miPaulinskill Valley TrailBike route
2.2 miCourts & fields
3Baseball
3Soccer
2Basketball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Frelinghuysen Township: April, May, August and 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Frelinghuysen Township →
Next door
Frelinghuysen Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hardwick Township97 miAllamuchy Township45 miBlairstown Township40 miFrelinghuysen Township18 miGreen Township17 miStillwater Township16 miIndependence Township10 miHope Township6.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frelinghuysen Township | 35% | 0.8 | 646 | 66% | A |
| Hardwick Township | 70% | 2.6 | 6,648 | 88% | A+ |
| Blairstown Township | 27% | 1.3 | 276 | 69% | A |
| Green Township | 24% | 1.1 | 365 | 85% | A+ |
| Allamuchy Township | 38% | 2.3 | 916 | 87% | A+ |
| Hope Township | 26% | 0.4 | 181 | 47% | A− |
| Independence Township | 18% | 0.5 | 259 | 74% | A |
| Stillwater Township | 43% | 0.6 | 1,359 | 92% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Frelinghuysen Township
Where can I hike in Frelinghuysen Township?
The longest trail networks: Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve, 3.9 miles; Gnome Hollow Preserve, 2.2 miles; Jenny Jump State Forest, 2 miles; Greendell Ridge Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Frelinghuysen Township is conserved land?
35% 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 Frelinghuysen Township’s trails?
Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve and Gnome Hollow Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Frelinghuysen Township?
100,422 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Frelinghuysen Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,897 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Frelinghuysen Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Frelinghuysen 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 →