Horseshoe Bend Park
Nature preserve
447 acres9.2 mi of trail
Orange TrailFlagg Kirkland (Yellow)Blue TrailWhite Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Kingwood Township
Kingwood Township has 2,157 acres of parks, 563 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Kingwood Township’s land is conserved, about 5,206 acres. The biggest trail networks: Horseshoe Bend Park (9.2 mi), Cooley Preserve (1.7 mi), Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park (1.3 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Kingwood Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #231 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
5,206 acres · of 35.0 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,157 ac
563 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.8 mi
7.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Kingwood Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kingwood Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kingwood Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #231 of 468 in New Jersey. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kingwood Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land563 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,157 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home50% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 51%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Kingwood Township’s 23% is ahead of 76% 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 B+ 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 Horseshoe Bend Park, with 9.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cooley Preserve
Nature preserve
134 acres1.7 mi of trail
Field Edge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
996 acres1.3 mi of trail
Axelrod/Dixon-FlemmingWhiteJenny's Pnd
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Lockatong Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
486 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bulls Island Recreation Area
Managed by NJDEP
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Horseshoe Bend Park447 acres · 9.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCooley Preserve134 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDelaware and Raritan Canal State Park996 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsLockatong Wildlife Management Area486 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKingwood Park46 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBulls Island Recreation Area6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · NJDEP
DirectionsKugler Woods Preserve209 acres · New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
DirectionsWho protects it
5,206 conserved acres
23% of Kingwood Township’s land. Who manages Kingwood Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,633 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,422 ac
County1,354 ac
Town or city1,000 ac
State natural resources832 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)643 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits496 ac
Agricultural Easement · 6,808 acState Park · 1,084 acState Conservation Area · 418 acUnknown Easement · 197 acLocal Park · 180 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,338 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 62 of 203 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,084 | Open |
| Lockatong Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 418 | Open |
| Kingwood Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 163 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 114 | Open |
| Horseshoe Bend Park Local Park | Town or city | 106 | Open |
| Lockatong Creek Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 79 | Restricted |
| Hunterdon Land Trust Trail Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 55 | Open |
| Kingwood Township Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Hunterdon Land Trust Forest Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 33 | Open |
| Muddy Run Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Kingwood Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kingwood Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Kingwood Township
Leash Free Dog Run AreaIn Horseshoe Bend Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Kingwood Township
Byram Boat Ramp
DirectionsKingwood Boat RampFee
DirectionsWaterfalls in Kingwood Township
High Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Kingwood Township
2 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Kingwood Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.3 miHorses · 9.5 miUnpaved · 7.7 mi
Orange Trail3.5 mi
Flagg Kirkland (Yellow)2.8 mi
Blue Trail1.2 mi
Field Edge Trail1.2 mi
Axelrod/Dixon-Flemming1.1 mi
Chaitman Loop / Red1.1 mi
White Trail0.5 mi
White0.5 mi
Jenny's Pnd0.5 mi
Orange Trail / White Trail0.1 mi
2 more trails
Belly
0.1 miRed
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kingwood 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Kingwood Township →
Next door
Kingwood Township and its neighbors
Kingwood Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kingwood Township18 miAlexandria Township15 miTinicum Township14 miDelaware Township10 miFrenchtown8.2 miPlumstead Township8.1 miFranklin Township5.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingwood Township | 23% | 0.5 | 563 | 50% | A |
| Delaware Township | 34% | 0.3 | 445 | 68% | A |
| Frenchtown | 26% | 7.3 | 115 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Alexandria Township | 26% | 0.5 | 237 | 52% | A |
| Franklin Township | 23% | 0.2 | 160 | 60% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kingwood Township
Where can I hike in Kingwood Township?
The longest trail networks: Horseshoe Bend Park, 9.2 miles; Cooley Preserve, 1.7 miles; Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, 1.3 miles; Lockatong Wildlife Management Area, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kingwood Township is conserved land?
23% 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 Kingwood Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kingwood Township?
7.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Kingwood Township?
47,289 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kingwood Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,176 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kingwood Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #231 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 Kingwood 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 →