Great Swamp Wilderness
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
743 acres1.1 mi of trail
Orange TrailSilver Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Gillette
More than half of Gillette’s land is conserved: 55%
55% of Gillette’s land is conserved, about 1,534 acres. The biggest trail networks: Great Swamp Wilderness (1.1 mi), Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (0.6 mi), Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park (0.5 mi). 388 acres are parks and preserves, 137 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
55%
1,534 acres · of 4.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.5 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
388 ac
137 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
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 Great Swamp Wilderness, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
1,079 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park
Park
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,534 conserved acres
55% of Gillette’s land. Who manages Gillette’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,218 ac
County221 ac
Town or city196 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government51 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits6 ac
Not recorded211 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,218 acLocal Conservation Area · 311 acLocal Other or Unknown · 205 acAgricultural Easement · 104 acLocal Park · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 54 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,218 | Restricted |
| Passaic River County Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 336 | Open |
| Long Hill Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 154 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Long Hill Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Long Hill Public Space Connection Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Passaic River Coalition Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Meyersville Field Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Passaic River Basin Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Gillette
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Gillette
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 1.6 mi
Orange Trail0.7 mi
Silver Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & 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.
Courts & fields
12Tennis
3Soccer
2Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gillette: April to 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Gillette →
Next door
Gillette and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chatham Township13 miBerkeley Heights Township9.3 miWarren Township6.2 miLong Hill Township5.4 miGillette2.5 miStirling0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillette | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Long Hill Township | 52% | 0.5 | 143 | 97% | A+ |
| Berkeley Heights Township | 14% | 1.5 | 45 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Warren Township | 9% | 0.3 | 61 | 79% | A− |
| Stirling | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chatham Township | — 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 Gillette
Where can I hike in Gillette?
The longest trail networks: Great Swamp Wilderness, 1.1 miles; Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, 0.6 miles; Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Gillette’s trails?
Great Swamp Wilderness and Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Gillette?
35,871 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gillette or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 388 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Gillette 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 →