Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Jackson Township has 19,340 acres of parks, 322 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved, about 10,796 acres. 107 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #151 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #151 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.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 17% is ahead of 63% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% 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.
10,796 conserved acres
17% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,300 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 128 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,749 | Open |
| West Turkey Swamp Park Local Park | County | 1,067 | Open |
| Forest Resource Education Center State Historic or Cultural Area | State natural resources | 876 | Open |
| unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 627 | Open |
| Bowmans Bridge Local Conservation Area | County | 432 | Open |
| Francis Mills Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 375 | Open |
| Barnegat Bay Greenway Local Resource Management Area | County | 235 | Open |
| Jackson Township Athletic Facility Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 225 | Open |
| Prospertown Lake Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 215 | Open |
| Patriots County Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 210 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
23 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Plus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
3 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
1.8 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 map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Jackson 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Jackson Township →
Jackson Township and its neighbors
Jackson Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 17% | 1.1 | 322 | 69% | A |
| Howell Township | 14% | 0.7 | 112 | 92% | A |
| Plumsted Township | 20% | 0.4 | 199 | 87% | A |
| Manchester Township | 36% | 2.0 | 266 | 81% | A+ |
| Lakewood Township | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Freehold Township | 30% | 0.8 | 224 | 87% | A+ |
| Cedar Glen West | — 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 Jackson Township
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
17% 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.
Where can I bike in Jackson Township?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths and 1.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
125,373 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 19,344 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #151 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 Jackson 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 →