John A. Roebling Memorial Park
Managed by Mercer County
408 acres3.9 mi of trail
Red TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Eva and Rodney Hargis · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hamilton Township
20% of Hamilton Township’s land is conserved: 4,927 acres
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4,065 acres are parks and preserves, 44 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: John A. Roebling Memorial Park (3.9 mi), Veterans Park (3.2 mi), Grounds For Sculpture (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #158 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,927 acres · of 39.4 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,065 ac
44 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
6.6 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Hamilton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hamilton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hamilton Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #158 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hamilton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land44 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,065 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home97% 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 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 66%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Hamilton Township’s 20% is ahead of 69% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 43% 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 John A. Roebling Memorial Park, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grounds For Sculpture
Park
55 acres2.6 mi of trail
River Birch AlléeWisteria Pergola
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Van Nest Refuge Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
92 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sayen House and Gardens
Park
19 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sharps Lane Park
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
John A. Roebling Memorial Park408 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · Mercer County
DirectionsVeterans Park425 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGrounds For Sculpture55 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsVan Nest Refuge Wildlife Management Area92 acres · 2 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsMercer County Park124 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSayen House and Gardens19 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSharps Lane Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park204 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsVan Horn Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hamilton Preserve174 acres · New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
DirectionsKuser Park33 acres
Bromley Park14 acres
DirectionsFred Sayen Park13 acres
Limewood Drive Park7 acres
Endicott Park4 acres
DirectionsSunset Manor Park2 acres
Farmingdale Park2 acres
DirectionsD'Arcy Avenue Park1 acres
Periwinkle Park1 acres
Who protects it
4,927 conserved acres
20% of Hamilton Township’s land. Who manages Hamilton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,681 ac
Town or city1,945 ac
Other state land1,226 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,093 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)172 ac
State fish & wildlife119 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits61 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,353 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,570 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,254 acLocal Park · 1,160 acState Conservation Area · 244 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,409 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 20 of 186 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| J A Roebling Memorial Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 976 | Open |
| Abbott Marshland Local Conservation Area | County | 822 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 425 | Open |
| Hamilton Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 274 | Open |
| Banner Farm Local Other or Unknown | County | 264 | Open |
| Bear Swamp Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 197 | Open |
| Trenton Hamilton Marsh State Conservation Area | Other state land | 138 | Open |
| Mazza Farm - Dyapa State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 128 | Unknown |
| Mercer County Park Local Park | County | 125 | Open |
| Dam Site 21 Local Recreation Area | County | 109 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
73 places to go in Hamilton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hamilton Township
Limewood park swingsIn Limewood Drive Park
DirectionsTall jungle gymIn Limewood Drive Park
DirectionscarouselIn Limewood Drive Park
Directions70 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Hamilton Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hamilton Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Hamilton Township
Student Picnic AreaIn Grounds For Sculpture
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.1 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 8.3 mi
Bear Swamp Trail0.6 mi
Red Trail0.6 mi
White Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
62Tennis
49Baseball
29Soccer
22Basketball
14Pickleball
5Football
5Beach volleyball
2Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 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.
Bow HillBuilding · listed 1973
About itAnderson-Capner HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itIsaac Watson HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itJohn II Abbott HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itAbbott-Decou HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itIsaac Pearson HouseBuilding · listed 2006
About itMaddock's, Thomas, Sons CompanyBuilding · listed 2008
About itV. Henry Rothschild-F.A. Straus and Co.-Atlantic Products Corporation Mill ComplexBuilding · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hamilton 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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hamilton Township →
Next door
Hamilton Township and its neighbors
Hamilton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lawrence Township27 miHamilton Township22 miTrenton6.5 miBordentown Township4.1 miWhite Horse2.6 miChesterfield Township0.9 miYardville0.0 miBordentown0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Township | 20% | 0.6 | 44 | 97% | A |
| Chesterfield Township | 57% | under 0.1 | 25 | 88% | B+ |
| Bordentown Township | 16% | 0.5 | 72 | 97% | A |
| Lawrence Township | 22% | 1.2 | 78 | 91% | A+ |
| Yardville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Trenton | 6% | 0.9 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
| White Horse | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bordentown | 25% | under 0.1 | 24 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hamilton Township
Where can I hike in Hamilton Township?
The longest trail networks: John A. Roebling Memorial Park, 3.9 miles; Veterans Park, 3.2 miles; Grounds For Sculpture, 2.6 miles; Van Nest Refuge Wildlife Management Area, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hamilton Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Hamilton Township’s trails?
John A. Roebling Memorial Park and Veterans Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hamilton Township?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of painted or protected lanes and 15 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hamilton Township?
57,743 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hamilton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,070 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hamilton Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #158 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 Hamilton 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 →