White Lake Natural Resource Area
Nature preserve
395 acres5.9 mi of trail
Ridge & Valley TrailBlue TrailGreen TrailWhite Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hardwick Township
More than half of Hardwick Township’s land is conserved: 70%
70% of Hardwick Township’s land is conserved, about 16,724 acres. 9,460 acres are parks and preserves, 6,648 per 1,000 residents. 97 miles of mapped trail cross Hardwick Township, 2.6 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
70%
16,724 acres · of 37.5 sq mi of land
Trails
97 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
9,460 ac
6,648 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
17
5 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hardwick Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hardwick Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hardwick Township is among the top 1% 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 Hardwick Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land70% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (97 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land6,648 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9,460 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Hardwick Township’s 70% is ahead of 100% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 White Lake Natural Resource Area, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Slabtown Creek Park
Park
25 acres0.7 mi of trail
Slabtown Creek Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maple Hill Preserve
Managed by Ridge and Valley Conservancy
63 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
16,724 conserved acres
70% of Hardwick Township’s land. Who manages Hardwick Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service7,970 ac
State parks5,112 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3,314 ac
State fish & wildlife972 ac
County584 ac
Joint514 ac
Other state land471 ac
State Resource Management Area · 10,705 acNational Recreation Area · 7,871 acConservation Easement · 1,254 acPrivate Conservation · 1,125 acAgricultural Easement · 1,030 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,171 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 96 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worthington State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 10,222 | Open |
| Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 7,871 | Open |
| White Lake Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 972 | Open |
| Hardwick Meadows Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 467 | Open |
| White Lake Local Other or Unknown | County | 406 | Open |
| Boy Scout Camp Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 277 | Closed |
| Blair Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 264 | Open |
| Paulins Kill Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 217 | Closed |
| Lightening Bug Hollow Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 201 | Closed |
| Kittatinny/Swartswood Matrix Block Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 150 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
54 places to go in Hardwick Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hardwick Township
Turtle Beach
DirectionsPlus 4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Hardwick Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Hardwick Township
Depew Boat Launch
DirectionsKittatinny Beach Boat Launch
DirectionsPoxono Boat Launch
DirectionsWorthington State Forest Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Hardwick Township
Coventry Pond
DirectionsPlus 1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Hardwick Township
Dunnfield Creek Falls
DirectionsLaurel Falls
DirectionsLower Glen Waterfall
DirectionsUpper Glen Waterfall
DirectionsPlus 4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Hardwick Township
Large Pile of Rocks
DirectionsMount Mohican
DirectionsScenic Overlook - Delaware River
DirectionsScenic Overlook - Delaware River and Reservoir
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Hardwick Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Hardwick Township
AMC Mohican Outdoor CenterAppalachian Mountain Club
DirectionsBackpacker Campsite 2
DirectionsCamp No-Be-Bo-ScoNorthern New Jersey Council, Boy Scouts of America
DirectionsForest campsite
DirectionsHA-1Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-11Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-13Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-15Fee · National Park Service
Directions6 more campgrounds
HA-17Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-3Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-5Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-7Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHA-9Fee · National Park Service
DirectionsHappiness Is Camping
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Hardwick Township
3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.8 miHorses · 10.6 miUnpaved · 41.3 mi
Appalachian Trail13.2 mi
Dunnfield Creek Trail3.3 mi
Rockcores Trail3.1 mi
Hamilton Ridge Trail2.8 mi
Blue Trail2.4 mi
Rattlesnake Swamp Trail2.2 mi
Paulinskill Valley Trail2.2 mi
Ridge & Valley Trail2.1 mi
Kaiser Trail2.1 mi
Coppermine Trail2.0 mi
15 more trails
Douglas Trail
1.7 miVan Campens Glen Trail
1.6 miFarview Trail
1.3 miMount Tammany Trail
1.2 miYellow Trail
1.2 miPahaquarry Trail
1.2 miGarvey Springs Trail
1.0 miKaramac One Mile Rail Trail (NYSW)
1.0 miBuckwood Trail
0.9 miPioneer Trail
0.9 miBlue Blaze
0.9 miCoventry Pond Trail
0.8 miDonkey's Hollow Trail
0.8 miSlabtown Creek Park Trail
0.7 miOrange Trail
0.7 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
7Basketball
3Equestrian
2Tennis
1Football
1Soccer
1Beach volleyball
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 30 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hardwick Township: April, May, July 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hardwick Township →
Next door
Hardwick Township and its neighbors
Hardwick Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hardwick Township97 miBlairstown Township40 miSmithfield Township25 miKnowlton Township22 miFrelinghuysen Township18 miMiddle Smithfield Township18 miStillwater Township16 miDelaware Water Gap8.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwick Township | 70% | 2.6 | 6,648 | 88% | A+ |
| Frelinghuysen Township | 35% | 0.8 | 646 | 66% | A |
| Blairstown Township | 27% | 1.3 | 276 | 69% | A |
| Stillwater Township | 43% | 0.6 | 1,359 | 92% | A+ |
| Knowlton Township | 37% | 0.9 | 792 | 68% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hardwick Township
Where can I hike in Hardwick Township?
The longest trail networks: White Lake Natural Resource Area, 5.9 miles; Slabtown Creek Park, 0.7 miles; Maple Hill Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hardwick Township is conserved land?
70% 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 Hardwick Township’s trails?
White Lake Natural Resource Area and Slabtown Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hardwick Township?
129,108 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hardwick Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 14,607 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hardwick Township have?
Among the top 1% 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 Hardwick 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 →