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TUTTLE HOUSE, WHIPPANY, MORRIS COUNTYPhoto: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hanover Township

13% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park

Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 900 acres are parks and preserves, 61 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved, about 877 acres.

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #118 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Conserved land
13%
877 acres · of 10.5 sq mi of land
Trails
6.3 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
900 ac
61 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi paths
Highest peak
472 ft
Horse Hill
Lakes & rivers
2

What kind of outdoors town is Hanover Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical New Jersey town, 11%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hanover Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #118 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land61 acres of park per 1,000 residents (900 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 75%

New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Hanover Township’s 13% is ahead of 55% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% 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.

1234
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 Bee Meadow Park, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Bee Meadow Park

Park
74 acres2 mi of trail
Patriots' Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Black Brook Park

Park
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Black Meadows Preserve

Nature preserve
534 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Hanover Central Park

Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Bee Meadow Park74 acres · 2 mi of trail
Directions
Black Brook Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Directions
Malapardis Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Black Meadows Preserve534 acres
Directions
Hanover Central Park9 acres
Directions
Veterans Memorial Park7 acres
Directions
Stoney Brook Park2 acres
Troy Meadows1 acres
Community Park1 acres
Directions
Monroe Recreation Area1 acres
Directions
Who protects it

877 conserved acres

13% of Hanover Township’s land. Who manages Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Town or city673 ac
Other state land145 ac
County38 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government18 ac
Not recorded21 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 598 acState Conservation Area · 145 acLocal Park · 95 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 31 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 31 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Hanover Township Unknown
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city365Open
Black Meadows Preserve
State Conservation Area
Other state land145Open
Bee Meadow Park
Local Park
Town or city91Open
Central Park
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city40Open
Trailwood
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city36Open
Black Meadows
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city33Open
Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Local Historic or Cultural Area
County31Open
Stony Brook Park
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city22Open
Malapardis Park
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city20Open
Blackbrook
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city17Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

14 places to go in Hanover Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Playgrounds in Hanover Township
Central Park PlaygroundIn Hanover Central Park
Directions

Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.

Trails & water

1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.1 mi
Patriots' Path3.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bee Meadow PondpondWhippany River
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
off-road bike paths
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route)Bike route
3 mi
Courts & fields
14Tennis
14Soccer
11Baseball
3Football
2Beach volleyball
2Basketball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

6 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Tuttle HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About it
Our Lady of Mercy ChapelBuilding · listed 1978
About it
FordvilleBuilding · listed 1978
About it
United States Army Steam Locomotive No. 4039Structure · listed 2002
About it
Morristown and Erie Railroad Whippany Water TankStructure · listed 2006
About it
Whippany Burying YardSite · listed 2009
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Hanover Township: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.510.611.813.214.415.114.813.812.411.09.89.3
High (°F)394250627281868477655443
Rain (in)3.52.84.04.04.14.74.74.64.54.43.54.4

February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hanover Township →

Next door

Hanover Township and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township43 miMorris Township24 miEast Hanover Township6.8 miHanover Township6.3 miWhippany5.7 miTroy Hills2.6 miMorris Plains1.6 miCedar Knolls0.7 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Hanover Township13%0.66199%+A
East Hanover Township20%0.99288%A
Morris Township13%1.58799%+A+
Whippany— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township25%1.86799%A+
Cedar Knolls— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Morris Plains8%0.62299%+A
Troy Hills— 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 Hanover Township

Where can I hike in Hanover Township?

The longest trail networks: Bee Meadow Park, 2 miles; Black Brook Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Hanover Township is conserved land?

13% 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 Hanover Township’s trails?

Bee Meadow Park and Black Brook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Hanover Township?

0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route).

Is there public land near Hanover Township?

54,167 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 900 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #118 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 Hanover Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →