Buck Mountain
Managed by State of New Jersey
1,720 acres21 mi of trail
Splitrock Trail (Dk Blue)Blue Trail Connector to Indian Cliffs OutlookSplitrock TrailUnmarked+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Church of the Ascension · Photo: Smallbones · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Kinnelon
33% of Kinnelon’s land is conserved: 3,850 acres
42 miles of mapped trail cross Kinnelon, 2.3 per square mile of land. 3,832 acres are parks and preserves, 383 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #6 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
3,850 acres · of 18.0 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,832 ac
383 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,099 ft
Fugawe Ridge
Lakes & rivers
18
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Kinnelon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kinnelon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kinnelon is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #6 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 Kinnelon’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land383 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,832 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% 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)#6 of 468
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Kinnelon’s 33% is ahead of 88% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 93% of them.
Water is 6% of Kinnelon’s area (1 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 31%.
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 Buck Mountain, with 21 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area
Managed by Morris County
378 acres4.1 mi of trail
Orange TrailGreen TrailBlue Dot TrailWhite Dot Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lake Rickabear Day Camp
Managed by Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey
325 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Koehler Pond
Nature preserve
31 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Buck Mountain1,720 acres · 21 mi of trail · State of New Jersey
Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area378 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsLake Rickabear Day Camp325 acres · 1 mi of trail · Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey
Koehler Pond31 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · State of New Jersey
Mountainside Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kinnelon Borough Open Space100 acres · Kinnelon Borough
John A Talbot Field3 acres · Private - Smoke Rise Club
Who protects it
3,850 conserved acres
33% of Kinnelon’s land. Water is left out: Kinnelon has 18.0 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Kinnelon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,468 ac
State natural resources1,245 ac
Town or city685 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits336 ac
State conservation14 ac
Not recorded559 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,892 acState Park · 987 acLocal Park · 406 acLocal Resource Management Area · 327 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 325 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 15 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 44 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Mountain State Park | State natural resources | 1,140 | Open |
| Silas Condict County Park Local Conservation Area | County | 1,127 | Open |
| Waughaw Mountain Greenway Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 557 | Open |
| Lake Rickabear Camp Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 325 | Open |
| Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 240 | Open |
| Maple Lake Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 162 | Open |
| Pyramid Mountain State Park State Park | State natural resources | 134 | Open |
| Untemeyer Lake Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 116 | Open |
| Sunset Valley Golf Course Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 90 | Open |
| Weber Tract Local Park | Town or city | 90 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Kinnelon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kinnelon
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Kinnelon
1 playground without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Kinnelon
Indian CliffsIn Buck Mountain
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Kinnelon
Fugawe Ridge1,099 ft elevation · In Buck Mountain
DirectionsRock Pear Mountain948 ft elevation
DirectionsStony Brook Mountains948 ft elevation
DirectionsKakeout Mountain909 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 14 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 11.8 mi
White Trail4.1 mi
Blue Trail3.2 mi
Orange Trail1.9 mi
Yellow Trail1.4 mi
Blue Trail Connector to Indian Cliffs Outlook1.0 mi
Splitrock Trail (Dk Blue)1.0 mi
Charlottesburg Road - Unpaved - Gated0.9 mi
Green Trail0.9 mi
Red Trail0.9 mi
Splitrock Trail0.7 mi
6 more trails
Blue Dot Trail
0.6 miWhite Dot Trail
0.4 miBlue-White Trail
0.4 miReservoir Trail
0.3 miYellow Dot Trail
0.2 miUnmarked
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Butler ReservoirreservoirCantys LakereservoirCarters PondreservoirEast LakereservoirHoot Owl LakelakeJays PondreservoirLake JulietreservoirLake KinnelonreservoirLake RealityreservoirLake RickabearMaple LakereservoirNew PondpondSawmill PondSurprise LakereservoirTaylortown ReservoirreservoirUntermeyer LakeWest LakelakePequannock River
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
4Tennis
3Soccer
1Basketball
1Baseball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Kinnelon: 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 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Kinnelon →
Next door
Kinnelon and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Milford Township238 miRockaway Township108 miKinnelon42 miMontville Township19 miMacopin16 miNewfoundland16 miRiverdale0.5 miButler0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinnelon | 33% | 2.3 | 383 | 98% | A+ |
| West Milford Township | 59% | 3.1 | 592 | 80% | A+ |
| Macopin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Butler | 4% | 0.1 | 7 | 99%+ | B |
| Newfoundland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Riverdale | 2% | 0.2 | 7 | 99%+ | B |
| Montville Township | 23% | 1.0 | 120 | 97% | 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 Kinnelon
Where can I hike in Kinnelon?
The longest trail networks: Buck Mountain, 21 miles; Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, 4.1 miles; Lake Rickabear Day Camp, 1 miles; Koehler Pond, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kinnelon is conserved land?
33% 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 Kinnelon’s trails?
Buck Mountain and Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Kinnelon?
85,396 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kinnelon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,091 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kinnelon have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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 Kinnelon 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 →