Navesink Light Station · Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.07% of Highlands’ 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. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Highlands, 1.5 per square mile of land. 7% of Highlands’ land is conserved, about 31 acres.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #237 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Highlands?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Highlands have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Highlands is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #237 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Highlands’ 7% is ahead of 33% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
Water is 47% of Highlands’ area (1 of 1 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Veterans Memorial Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
31 conserved acres
7% of Highlands’ land. Water is left out: Highlands has 0.7 square miles of land and 0.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Highlands’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Tour Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Hartshorne Woods Local Other or Unknown | County | 6 | Open |
| Twin Lights Lighthouse Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
| Snug Harbor Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Highlands Borough Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Highlands Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Waterwitch Beach Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Navasink Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
11 places to go in Highlands
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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.
The best walking months in Highlands: April to 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 43 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Highlands →
Highlands and its neighbors
Highlands has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands | 7% | 1.5 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Atlantic Highlands | 7% | 0.4 | 14 | 99%+ | A− |
| Middletown Township | 23% | 1.4 | 82 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Highlands
Where can I hike in Highlands?
The longest trail networks: Veterans Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Highlands is conserved land?
7% 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 Highlands’ trails?
Veterans Memorial Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Highlands?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Highlands?
10,623 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Highlands or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 35 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Highlands have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #237 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 Highlands neighbors.
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 →