Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
Managed by Morris County
3,127 acres23.4 mi of trail
Yellow TrailWhite TrailBlue TrailHighlands Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson Township
More than half of Jefferson Township’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Jefferson Township’s land is conserved, about 12,876 acres. 10,683 acres are parks and preserves, 519 per 1,000 residents. 83 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson Township, 2.1 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #14 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
52%
12,876 acres · of 39.0 sq mi of land
Trails
83 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
10,683 ac
519 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
1,394 ft
Morris County High Point
Lakes & rivers
12
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Jefferson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #14 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land52% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (83 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land519 acres of park per 1,000 residents (10,683 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 97%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Jefferson Township’s 52% is ahead of 97% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 91% of them.
Water is 9% of Jefferson Township’s area (4 of 43 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 47%.
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 Mahlon Dickerson Reservation, with 23.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
3,633 acres18.5 mi of trail
Beaver Brook Trail (White)Yellow/Highlands TrailTeal/Black DotYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Minnisink Reservation
Managed by Morris County
315 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Federal Land
Nature preserve
142 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management Area
Managed by State of New Jersey
446 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
225 acres0.5 mi of trail
Unmarked Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation3,127 acres · 23.4 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsRockaway River Wildlife Management Area3,633 acres · 18.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMinnisink Reservation315 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsFederal Land142 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management Area446 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · State of New Jersey
DirectionsSparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area225 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWeldon Brook Wildlife Management Area13 acres · New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
Dogwood Park1 acres
Who protects it
12,876 conserved acres
52% of Jefferson Township’s land. Water is left out: Jefferson Township has 39.0 square miles of land and 3.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Jefferson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County3,990 ac
State conservation3,628 ac
State fish & wildlife3,560 ac
State natural resources1,355 ac
Town or city1,058 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits203 ac
Not recorded1,947 ac
Local Conservation Area · 4,450 acConservation Easement · 3,628 acState Resource Management Area · 2,015 acState Conservation Area · 1,727 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,504 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,626 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 98 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahlon Dickerson Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 4,800 | Open |
| Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,284 | Open |
| Kittatinny Valley State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,123 | Open |
| Berkshire Valley Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 521 | Open |
| Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 398 | Open |
| Hunters's Glen Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 294 | Open |
| Sparta Mountain Sanctuary Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 204 | Open |
| Minnisink Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 167 | Open |
| Minnisink Reservation Local Other or Unknown | County | 160 | Open |
| Jefferson Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 137 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Jefferson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jefferson Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Jefferson Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Jefferson Township
Headley OverlookIn Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
DirectionsPeaks in Jefferson Township
Morris County High Point1,394 ft elevation · In Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
DirectionsBowling Green Mountain1,378 ft elevation · In Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
DirectionsMount Paul1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsMase Mountain1,178 ft elevation · In Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsSaffin Rock1,138 ft elevation · In Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
DirectionsPicatinny Peak
DirectionsPlus 4 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.8 miHorses · 7.6 miUnpaved · 30.1 mi
Highlands Trail6.8 mi
Yellow Trail5.1 mi
White Trail4.2 mi
Blue Trail2.6 mi
Highlands Spur Trail2.2 mi
Four Birds Trail1.8 mi
Green Trail1.8 mi
Red Trail1.7 mi
Beaver Brook Trail (White)1.4 mi
Purple Trail1.4 mi
15 more trails
Split Rock Trail
1.1 miOgden Mine Railroad Trail
1.0 miWhite/Highlands Trail
1.0 miLHT spur (Brady Rd-to-Liffy)
1.0 miYellow/Highlands Trail
0.7 miLHT spur (Liffy Island)
0.6 miLake Trail
0.6 miOrange Trail
0.6 miUnmarked Trail
0.5 miTeal/Black Dot
0.5 miPink Dot Trail
0.5 miLHT spur (PP-to-Liffy)
0.4 miCharcoal Trail
0.4 miYellow Dot Trail
0.4 miWeldon Brook/Highlands Trail
0.4 miBiking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Baseball
11Tennis
6Soccer
5Basketball
2Football
2Equestrian
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Jefferson Township: April to 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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson Township →
Next door
Jefferson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Milford Township238 miRockaway Township108 miJefferson Township83 miRoxbury Township24 miHopatcong20 miNewfoundland16 miLake Hopatcong9.6 miOak Ridge9.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | 52% | 2.1 | 519 | 92% | A+ |
| West Milford Township | 59% | 3.1 | 592 | 80% | A+ |
| Oak Ridge | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lake Hopatcong | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Newfoundland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hopatcong | 24% | 1.8 | 77 | 99% | A+ |
| Roxbury Township | 17% | 1.1 | 149 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Rockaway Township | 25% | 2.6 | 369 | 93% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jefferson Township
Where can I hike in Jefferson Township?
The longest trail networks: Mahlon Dickerson Reservation, 23.4 miles; Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area, 18.5 miles; Minnisink Reservation, 2.1 miles; Federal Land, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson Township is conserved land?
52% 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 Jefferson Township’s trails?
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jefferson Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Jefferson Township?
116,292 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,685 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Jefferson 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 →