Allaire State Park
Nature preserve
1,157 acres10.2 mi of trail
Canal TrailOrangeUpper Squankum TrailHog Bog+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Howell Township
Howell Township has 6,032 acres of parks, 112 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Howell Township’s land is conserved, about 5,448 acres. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Allaire State Park (10.2 mi), Deerwood Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #153 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
5,448 acres · of 60.3 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,032 ac
112 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Highest peak
266 ft
Throck Morton Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Howell Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Howell Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Howell Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #153 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Howell Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land112 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,032 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% 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 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 67%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Howell Township’s 14% is ahead of 57% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 48% 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 Allaire State Park, with 10.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oak Glen Park
Park
25 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ramtown Manor Park
Park
8 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Allaire State Park1,157 acres · 10.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDeerwood Park26 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Glen Park25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Ramtown Manor Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Echo Lake Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWinston Park4 acres
Ramtown Manor Common Area3 acres
Ardena Acres Park2 acres
Glen Arden HOA Recreation Area1 acres
Monmouth Ridings Park1 acres
Chase Park1 acres
DirectionsFreewood Acres Park1 acres
Diamond Lane Park1 acres
Who protects it
5,448 conserved acres
14% of Howell Township’s land. Who manages Howell Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County3,478 ac
Town or city2,232 ac
State natural resources371 ac
Other state land51 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits43 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government23 ac
Not recorded1,678 ac
Local Recreation Area · 1,959 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,608 acAgricultural Easement · 1,464 acLocal Park · 1,404 acLocal Other or Unknown · 756 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 740 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 181 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1,762 | Open |
| Manasquan Reservoir Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1,462 | Open |
| Yellow Brook Local Resource Management Area | County | 621 | Open |
| Bear Swamp Natural Area Local Park | Not recorded | 533 | Open |
| Allaire State Park State Park | State natural resources | 371 | Open |
| Manasquan River Greenway Local Other or Unknown | County | 352 | Open |
| Howell Park Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 347 | Open |
| Howell Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 131 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 131 | Open |
| Howell Park Local Recreation Area | County | 125 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Howell Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Howell Township
The Purple ParkIn Deerwood Park
DirectionsTotlot #1In Ardena Acres Park
DirectionsTotlot #2In Ardena Acres Park
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Howell Township
Dog Bark ParkIn Oak Glen Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Howell Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Howell Township
Throck Morton Hill266 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Howell Township
Allaire State Park CampgroundIn Allaire State Park
DirectionsCamp Sacajawea
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.2 miHorses · 16.0 miUnpaved · 11.7 mi
Perimeter Trail5.0 mi
Canal Trail1.9 mi
Cove Trail1.2 mi
Upper Squankum Trail1.0 mi
Orange1.0 mi
Hog Bog0.8 mi
Howell Archery Range Path0.8 mi
Blue0.7 mi
Winter Run Loop0.6 mi
Reservoir Run Trail0.5 mi
6 more trails
Nature Center Trail
0.5 miWest Farms Loop
0.4 miOrange-Blue
0.4 miIMBA Trail
0.3 miBracken Trail
0.2 miSerpentine
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Golf
17Tennis
12Basketball
12Baseball
8Equestrian
1Soccer
1Lacrosse
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Howell 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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Howell Township →
Next door
Howell Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Jackson Township107 miWall Township65 miHowell Township40 miFreehold Township31 miColts Neck Township23 miBrick Township11 miLakewood Township8.8 miRamtown0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howell Township | 14% | 0.7 | 112 | 92% | A |
| Lakewood Township | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Jackson Township | 17% | 1.1 | 322 | 69% | A |
| Ramtown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Freehold Township | 30% | 0.8 | 224 | 87% | A+ |
| Wall Township | 13% | 2.1 | 165 | 95% | A+ |
| Brick Township | 14% | 0.4 | 26 | 96% | A |
| Colts Neck Township | 14% | 0.7 | 196 | 94% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Howell Township
Where can I hike in Howell Township?
The longest trail networks: Allaire State Park, 10.2 miles; Deerwood Park, 0.6 miles; Oak Glen Park, 0.1 miles; Ramtown Manor Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Howell Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Howell Township’s trails?
Allaire State Park and Deerwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Howell Township?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Howell Township?
57,328 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Howell Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,032 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Howell Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #153 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 Howell 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 →