18% of Jersey City’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 23 miles of mapped trail cross Jersey City, 1.6 per square mile of land. 18% of Jersey City’s land is conserved, about 1,733 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #212 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,733 acres · of 14.7 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,306 ac
4.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
56 mi
47 mi lanes · 3.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Jersey City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jersey City is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #212 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jersey City’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Jersey City ranks #105 on Outdoors.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Jersey City’s 18% is ahead of 66% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 83% of them.
Water is 30% of Jersey City’s area (6 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
Park acres per resident are where Jersey City trails most U.S. towns: 4.4 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 302,013 people share 1,306 acres.
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.
18% of Jersey City’s land. Water is left out: Jersey City has 14.7 square miles of land and 6.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Jersey City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,198 ac
Town or city209 ac
County171 ac
National Park Service50 ac
Private owners8 ac
Not recorded1,288 ac
State Park · 2,426 acLocal Park · 295 acUnknown · 60 acNational Monument · 50 acLocal Recreation Area · 44 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 63 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Liberty State Park
State Park
State natural resources
2,426
Open
Lincoln Park
Local Park
County
162
Open
Statue of Liberty National Monument
National Monument
National Park Service
50
Open
Acquisition of the PJP Landfill
Unknown
Not recorded
40
Unknown
Marion Greenway - Hackensack Riverfront Park
Local Park
Town or city
34
Open
Hackensack River Greenway
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city
32
Open
Caven Point Complex
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
18
Open
Reservoir 3
Local Conservation Area
Town or city
14
Open
Pershing Field
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
13
Open
Skyway Park 2
Unknown
Not recorded
12
Unknown
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
108 places to go in Jersey City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
47 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
4.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey Newark Spur)Bike route
0.6 mi
Courts & fields
46Tennis
41Basketball
34Baseball
10Soccer
9Tracks
4Football
2Skate park
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
28 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 35 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Jersey City: 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)
9.6
10.6
11.8
13.2
14.4
15.1
14.8
13.8
12.4
11.0
9.8
9.3
High (°F)
40
43
50
62
72
81
86
84
77
66
55
45
Rain (in)
3.5
2.9
4.2
3.9
3.9
4.4
4.5
4.3
4.1
4.2
3.4
4.3
February is the driest month (2.9 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 Jersey City →
Next door
Jersey City and its neighbors
Jersey City has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jersey City
Where can I hike in Jersey City?
The longest trail networks: Lincoln Park, 7.8 miles; Berry Lane Park, 1.2 miles; Liberty State Park, 1 miles; Washington Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jersey City 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 Jersey City’s trails?
Lincoln Park and Berry Lane Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jersey City?
56 miles of bike routes are on the map: 47 of painted or protected lanes, 3.4 of off-road paths and 4.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey Newark Spur).
Is there public land near Jersey City?
34,240 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jersey City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,306 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Jersey City have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 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 Jersey City neighbors.
Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0