Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
3,791 acres8.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Harding Township
More than half of Harding Township’s land is conserved: 53%
53% of Harding Township’s land is conserved, about 6,752 acres. 45 miles of mapped trail cross Harding Township, 2.2 per square mile of land. 733 acres are parks and preserves, 188 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #58 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
53%
6,752 acres · of 20.1 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
733 ac
188 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Highest peak
751 ft
Sugar Loaf
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Harding Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild53% of the land is conserved; a typical New Jersey town, 11%.A trail town2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 95% of U.S. towns.Room to roam188 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harding Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harding Township is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #58 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 Harding Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land53% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land188 acres of park per 1,000 residents (733 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home75% 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 97%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 88%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Harding Township’s 53% is ahead of 97% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% 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 Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, with 8.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Great Swamp Wilderness
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1,629 acres5.7 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow TrailOrange TrailIvory Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lewis Morris County Park
Managed by Morris County
187 acres5.2 mi of trail
Green TrailOrange TrailPatriots' Path (Blue)Red Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Great Swamp Watershed Association
Nature preserve
73 acres2.6 mi of trail
Silverbrook Trail (Green)Orange TrailRed TrailBlue Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Loantaka Brook Reservation
Nature preserve
133 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge3,791 acres · 8.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Swamp Wilderness1,629 acres · 5.7 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsLewis Morris County Park187 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsGreat Swamp Watershed Association73 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLoantaka Brook Reservation133 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBayne Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHarding Land Trust11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsScherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary82 acres · New Jersey Audubon
Who protects it
6,752 conserved acres
53% of Harding Township’s land. Who manages Harding Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service7,715 ac
National Park Service1,360 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits953 ac
County373 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government348 ac
Town or city182 ac
Other state land88 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 7,715 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 1,360 acAgricultural Easement · 660 acPrivate Conservation · 370 acConservation Easement · 240 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 784 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 118 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 | 7,715 | Restricted |
| Morristown National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 1,360 | Restricted |
| Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Presserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 153 | Open |
| Primrose Farm Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 114 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 97 | Open |
| Primrose Brook Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 92 | Open |
| Harding Land Trust Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 90 | Open |
| Camp Jockey Hollow Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 88 | Open |
| Loantaka Brook Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 81 | Open |
| Harding Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 58 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Harding Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Harding Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Harding Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Harding Township
Sugar Loaf751 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Kemble705 ft elevation
DirectionsBlachleys Hill669 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Harding Township
Mendham Overlook AreaIn Lewis Morris County Park
DirectionsPrimrose Preserve
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.4 miHorses · 15.6 miUnpaved · 27.8 mi
Grand Loop Trail3.4 mi
Yellow Trail3.2 mi
Orange Trail3.0 mi
Blue Trail2.9 mi
Green Trail2.2 mi
Grand Loop Trail/Patriots' Path1.2 mi
Primrose Brook Trail1.2 mi
Primrose Preserve Trail1.2 mi
Aqueduct Loop Trail1.1 mi
Outer Loop Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Ivory Trail
0.8 miPatriots' Path (Blue)
0.7 miRed Trail
0.7 miSilverbrook Trail (Green)
0.6 miPassaic River Trail/Patriots' Path
0.6 miInner Loop Trail
0.5 miMendham-Elizabethtown Road Trail
0.4 miBridle Trail
0.4 miOld Camp Road Trail
0.4 miNew York Brigade Trail
0.3 miOrange Trail/Patriots' Path (Blue)
0.3 miOld Camp Road Trail / Patriots' Path
0.3 miSilverbrook Trail - White
0.3 miConnector Trail
0.2 miNew York Bridgade Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
6Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harding 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.
| 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 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Harding Township →
Next door
Harding Township and its neighbors
Harding Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harding Township45 miBernards Township25 miMorris Township24 miChatham Township13 miBernardsville8.5 miLong Hill Township5.4 miBasking Ridge2.0 miGreen Village1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding Township | 53% | 2.2 | 188 | 75% | A+ |
| Bernards Township | 16% | 1.0 | 92 | 96% | A+ |
| Basking Ridge | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Morris Township | 13% | 1.5 | 87 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Bernardsville | 9% | 0.7 | 58 | 90% | A |
| Chatham Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Green Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Long Hill Township | 52% | 0.5 | 143 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harding Township
Where can I hike in Harding Township?
The longest trail networks: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, 8.3 miles; Great Swamp Wilderness, 5.7 miles; Lewis Morris County Park, 5.2 miles; Great Swamp Watershed Association, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harding Township is conserved land?
53% 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 Harding Township’s trails?
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Great Swamp Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harding Township?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harding Township?
53,560 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harding Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 866 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harding Township have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #58 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 Harding 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 →