Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
16,155 acres87.8 mi of trail
NJ State Long TrailATT LineCedar Creek TrailKeith Survey Line of 1686
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lacey Township
More than half of Lacey Township’s land is conserved: 63%
63% of Lacey Township’s land is conserved, about 33,775 acres. 29,322 acres are parks and preserves, 994 per 1,000 residents. 192 miles of mapped trail cross Lacey Township, 2.3 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #6 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
63%
33,775 acres · of 83.2 sq mi of land
Trails
192 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
29,322 ac
994 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
3.6 mi paths
Highest peak
184 ft
Forked River Mountain
Lakes & rivers
19
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Lacey Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lacey Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lacey Township 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 Lacey Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land63% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (192 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land994 acres of park per 1,000 residents (29,322 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home93% 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 Lacey Township’s 63% is ahead of 100% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 93% of them.
Water is 17% of Lacey Township’s area (17 of 100 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 53%.
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 Greenwood Forest WMA, with 87.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area
Managed by Ocean County Parks Department
10,400 acres43.1 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Double Trouble State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
4,450 acres13.4 mi of trail
Swordens PondSweetwater TrailNature Trail / Sweetwater TrailClear Brook Trai+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Enos Pond County Park
Park
588 acres2.9 mi of trail
Nj State Game Farm
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
2,682 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area16,155 acres · 87.8 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsForked River Mountains Wilderness Area10,400 acres · 43.1 mi of trail · Ocean County Parks Department
Double Trouble State Park4,450 acres · 13.4 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsEnos Pond County Park588 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge2,682 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsWilliam Hebrew Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsVincent Clune Park25 acres
Island Beach State Park6 acres
DirectionsParkside Drive Park3 acres
DirectionsSedge Islands Wildlife Management Area1 acres
Who protects it
33,775 conserved acres
63% of Lacey Township’s land. Water is left out: Lacey Township has 83.2 square miles of land and 16.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lacey Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife18,935 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits10,247 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service5,462 ac
State natural resources4,659 ac
County1,029 ac
Town or city211 ac
State conservation19 ac
State Conservation Area · 17,760 acPrivate Conservation · 10,229 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 5,462 acState Park · 4,647 acState Resource Management Area · 1,153 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 80 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 16,906 | Open |
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 5,462 | Restricted |
| Double Trouble State Park State Park | State natural resources | 4,641 | Open |
| Candace McKee Ashmun Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3,614 | Open |
| Forked River Mountain Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 3,330 | Open |
| Forked River Mountain Macrosite Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3,056 | Unknown |
| Forked River Mountain Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,869 | Open |
| Davenport Branch Local Other or Unknown | County | 1,197 | Open |
| Americas Keswick Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 221 | Open |
| Bamber Lake Beach Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 91 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Lacey Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lacey Township
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Lacey Township
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lacey Township
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lacey Township
Forked River Mountain184 ft elevation · In Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area
DirectionsEast Mountain180 ft elevation · In Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area
DirectionsPine Hill177 ft elevation · In Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Lacey Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miHorses · 3.4 miUnpaved · 17.5 mi
NJ State Long Trail3.5 mi
ATT Line1.7 mi
Nj State Game Farm1.4 mi
Swordens Pond1.3 mi
Cedar Creek Trail1.1 mi
Lacey Rail Trail0.8 mi
Keith Survey Line of 16860.8 mi
Sweetwater Trail0.6 mi
Nature Trail / Sweetwater Trail0.5 mi
Clear Brook Trai0.3 mi
1 more trails
Nature Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Barnegat Branch TrailBike route
0.8 miCourts & fields
20Baseball
12Tennis
11Soccer
5Basketball
4Football
4Beach volleyball
3Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lacey Township: April to June
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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Lacey Township →
Next door
Lacey Township and its neighbors
Lacey Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Woodland Township337 miLacey Township192 miManchester Township163 miBerkeley Township70 miBarnegat Township51 miOcean Township30 miForked River0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacey Township | 63% | 2.3 | 994 | 93% | A+ |
| Berkeley Township | 47% | 1.6 | 268 | 86% | A+ |
| Ocean Township | 28% | 1.4 | 591 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Manchester Township | 36% | 2.0 | 266 | 81% | A+ |
| Forked River | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Barnegat Township | 49% | 1.5 | 255 | 99% | A+ |
| Woodland Township | 34% | 3.6 | 9,768 | 86% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lacey Township
Where can I hike in Lacey Township?
The longest trail networks: Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, 87.8 miles; Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area, 43.1 miles; Double Trouble State Park, 13.4 miles; Enos Pond County Park, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lacey Township is conserved land?
63% 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 Lacey Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lacey Township?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of off-road paths. Named routes: Barnegat Branch Trail.
Is there public land near Lacey Township?
166,337 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lacey Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 29,332 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lacey Township 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 Lacey 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 →