Photo: Skarwowski · CC BY-SA 3.09% of Hillside 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. 9% of Hillside Township’s land is conserved, about 155 acres. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Hillside Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #357 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hillside Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hillside Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillside Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #357 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Hillside Township’s 9% is ahead of 42% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 16% of them.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
155 conserved acres
9% of Hillside Township’s land. Who manages Hillside Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth River Park Local Park | County | 140 | Open |
| Paul F Korlesky Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Norman L Sanford Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| George P Dorer Park Local Park | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
| Little League Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| John Desch Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Municipal Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Hillside Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
0.0 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
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Hillside Township: April to June, August and 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) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hillside Township →
Hillside Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Township | 9% | 0.1 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Union Township | 10% | 0.4 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Elizabeth | 2% | 0.3 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
| Newark | 4% | 0.9 | 3 | 97% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hillside Township
How much of Hillside Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Hillside Township’s trails?
Elizabeth River Park and Lightning Brook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hillside Township?
28,985 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillside Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 173 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hillside Township have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #357 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 Hillside Township 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 →