Jenny Jump State Forest
Nature preserve
319 acres2.7 mi of trail
Summit Trail (Tan)Spring Trail (Blue)Ghost Lake Trail (Teal)Swamp Trail (Red)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli on Flickr · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Independence Township
Independence Township has 1,432 acres of parks, 259 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Independence Township’s land is conserved, about 2,265 acres. The biggest trail networks: Jenny Jump State Forest (2.7 mi). 10 miles of mapped trail cross Independence Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #207 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,265 acres · of 19.8 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,432 ac
259 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,230 ft
Upper Pohatcong Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Independence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Independence Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #207 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Independence Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land259 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,432 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 56%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Independence Township’s 18% is ahead of 65% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 40% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to 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 Jenny Jump State Forest, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,265 conserved acres
18% of Independence Township’s land. Who manages Independence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,057 ac
Other state land641 ac
County488 ac
State natural resources359 ac
State parks346 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government316 ac
Town or city216 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,518 acState Resource Management Area · 843 acAgricultural Easement · 842 acLocal Park · 89 acLocal Other or Unknown · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 511 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenny Jump State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 671 | Open |
| Mt. Rascal Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 613 | Open |
| Pequest Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 596 | Open |
| Rockport Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 318 | Open |
| Field Of Dreams Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Division of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 82 | Open |
| Srma State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 82 | Open |
| Pequest River Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| New Jersey Audubon Society Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Open |
| Kittatinny Valley State Park State Park | State natural resources | 23 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Independence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Independence Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Independence Township
Scenic Overlook - Ghost LakeIn Jenny Jump State Forest
DirectionsScenic Overlook - Summit Trail AreaIn Jenny Jump State Forest
DirectionsScenic Overlook - Summit Trail Area
DirectionsScenic Overlook - Swamp Trail AreaIn Jenny Jump State Forest
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Independence Township
Upper Pohatcong Mountain1,230 ft elevation
DirectionsJenny Jump Mountain1,129 ft elevation
DirectionsBucks Hill912 ft elevation
DirectionsStevens Island561 ft elevation
DirectionsPost Island554 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.1 mi
Summit Trail (Tan)1.1 mi
Rockport WMA (Red) Trail0.9 mi
Spring Trail (Blue)0.7 mi
Ghost Lake Trail (Teal)0.5 mi
Swamp Trail (Red)0.5 mi
Morris Canal Greenway0.4 mi
Red Trail0.3 mi
Faery Cave Trail0.1 mi
White Trail0.1 mi
Black Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & 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.
Courts & fields
3Basketball
3Tennis
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Great Meadows Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Independence 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Independence Township →
Next door
Independence Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Allamuchy Township45 miFrelinghuysen Township18 miMansfield Township13 miIndependence Township10 miLiberty Township8.6 miHackettstown7.4 miPanther Valley6.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | 18% | 0.5 | 259 | 74% | A |
| Hackettstown | 21% | 2.0 | 35 | 93% | A+ |
| Allamuchy Township | 38% | 2.3 | 916 | 87% | A+ |
| Panther Valley | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mansfield Township | 32% | 0.5 | 603 | 63% | A |
| Liberty Township | 30% | 0.7 | 245 | 59% | A |
| Frelinghuysen Township | 35% | 0.8 | 646 | 66% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Independence Township
Where can I hike in Independence Township?
The longest trail networks: Jenny Jump State Forest, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Independence 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 Independence Township’s trails?
Jenny Jump State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Independence Township?
67,510 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Independence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,778 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 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 Independence 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 →