Thompson Park
Park
357 acres5.9 mi of trail
Reservoir LoopMarlu TrailThompson LoopReservoir Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Holmdel Township
Holmdel Township has 34 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
18% of Holmdel Township’s land is conserved, about 2,042 acres. 1,750 acres are parks and preserves, 100 per 1,000 residents. 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #36 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,042 acres · of 17.8 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,750 ac
100 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
3.8 mi lanes · 0.2 mi paths
Highest peak
394 ft
Crawford Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Holmdel Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Holmdel Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Holmdel Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #36 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Holmdel Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land100 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,750 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 93%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Holmdel Township’s 18% is ahead of 66% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% 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 Thompson Park, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cross Farm Park
Park
53 acres1.6 mi of trail
Thompson Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Neil Waackaack Preserve
Nature preserve
71 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Neil Waackaack Preserve Parking
All 9 parks & preserves
Thompson Park357 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCross Farm Park53 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNeil Waackaack Preserve71 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsAckerson Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRegency Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAllocco Park4 acres
DirectionsRobert Labbe Memorial Park2 acres
Tatum Park1 acres · Monmouth County Park System
Who protects it
2,042 conserved acres
18% of Holmdel Township’s land. Who manages Holmdel Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,162 ac
Town or city742 ac
Other state land377 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Not recorded357 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,453 acAgricultural Easement · 577 acLocal Conservation Area · 357 acLocal Recreation Area · 207 acLocal Resource Management Area · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 323 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 49 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 704 | Open |
| Holmdel Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 696 | Open |
| Holmdel Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 336 | Open |
| Cross Farm Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 211 | Open |
| Pool and Tennis Center Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Holmdel Township Wooded Lot Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Hazlet Township Wooded Lot Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Indian Hill Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Mahoras Brook Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Phillips Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 9 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Holmdel Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Holmdel Township
Forest Edge Playground
DirectionsHill Top Playground
DirectionsHolmdel Montessori Playground
DirectionsHolmdel Swim Club Playground
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Holmdel Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Holmdel Township
Crawford Hill394 ft elevation
DirectionsTelegraph Hill348 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Holmdel Township
Telegraph Hill Picnic Area
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Holmdel Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
19 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.6 miHorses · 13.3 miUnpaved · 24.5 mi
Reservoir Loop2.7 mi
Ramanessin Trail2.7 mi
Cross Country Trail2.0 mi
Ridge Walk Trail1.5 mi
Steeplechase Trail1.2 mi
Thompson Loop0.9 mi
Marlu Trail0.8 mi
Bayonet Farms Trail0.8 mi
High Point Trail0.7 mi
Marsh Trail0.6 mi
9 more trails
Beech Glen Trail
0.6 miReservoir Trail
0.5 miThompson/Inner Loop
0.4 miTranquility Trail
0.3 miBell Works-Bayonet Farm Access Trail
0.3 miFern Path
0.2 miHomestead Trail
0.1 miPond Walk
0.1 miInner Loop Shortcut
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
23Tennis
19Baseball
15Basketball
14Soccer
4Beach volleyball
4Tracks
3Softball
3Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 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 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
KovenhovenBuilding · listed 1974
About itHolmes-Hendrickson HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itLongstreet FarmBuilding · listed 1979
About itHolmdel Dutch Reformed ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itUpper Meeting House of the Baptist Church of MiddletownBuilding · listed 1990
About itCooke, Dr. Robert W., Medical OfficeBuilding · listed 2011
About itBell Laboratories-HolmdelBuilding · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Holmdel Township: April to June 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 44 | 52 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Holmdel Township →
Next door
Holmdel Township and its neighbors
Holmdel Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middletown Township55 miHolmdel Township34 miColts Neck Township23 miMarlboro Township10 miLincroft7.3 miHazlet Township7.2 miAberdeen Township4.3 miStrathmore0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holmdel Township | 18% | 1.9 | 100 | 97% | A+ |
| Marlboro Township | 14% | 0.3 | 58 | 99% | A |
| Colts Neck Township | 14% | 0.7 | 196 | 94% | A |
| Hazlet Township | 12% | 1.3 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Middletown Township | 23% | 1.4 | 82 | 98% | A+ |
| Lincroft | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aberdeen Township | 15% | 0.8 | 32 | 99%+ | A |
| Strathmore | — 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 Holmdel Township
Where can I hike in Holmdel Township?
The longest trail networks: Thompson Park, 5.9 miles; Cross Farm Park, 1.6 miles; Neil Waackaack Preserve, 0.7 miles; Ackerson Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Holmdel Township is conserved land?
18% 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 Holmdel Township’s trails?
Thompson Park and Cross Farm Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Holmdel Township?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of painted or protected lanes and 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Holmdel Township?
33,283 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Holmdel Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,750 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Holmdel Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 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 Holmdel 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 →