Carson Road Woods
Managed by Lawrence Township
180 acres3.7 mi of trail
Carson Road Woods - Green TrailCarson Road Woods - Red TrailCarson Road Woods - Yellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: David Keddie · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lawrence Township
22% of Lawrence Township’s land is conserved: 3,050 acres
27 miles of mapped trail cross Lawrence Township, 1.2 per square mile of land. 2,528 acres are parks and preserves, 78 per 1,000 residents. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #87 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
3,050 acres · of 21.7 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,528 ac
78 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 21 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Lawrence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lawrence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lawrence Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #87 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 Lawrence Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land78 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,528 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 82%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Lawrence Township’s 22% is ahead of 73% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% of them.
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.
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 Carson Road Woods, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mercer Meadows County Park - Pole Farm District
Managed by Mercer County, New Jersey
474 acres2.6 mi of trail
Maidenhead TrailTwin Pines TrailMaidenhead-Twin Pines
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Maidenhead Trail Lot
Central Park
Managed by Lawrence Townsip
66 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shipetauken Woods
Managed by Lawrence Township
60 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Loveless Nature Preserve
Managed by Lawrence Township
43 acres0.8 mi of trail
Loveless Nature Preserve Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
355 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 17 parks & preserves
Carson Road Woods180 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Lawrence Township
DirectionsMercer Meadows County Park - Pole Farm District474 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Mercer County, New Jersey
DirectionsCentral Park66 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Lawrence Townsip
DirectionsShipetauken Woods60 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Lawrence Township
Loveless Nature Preserve43 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Lawrence Township
DirectionsCampus Green3 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsDelaware and Raritan Canal State Park355 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsVeterans Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMaidenhead Meadows Park343 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Lawrence Township
DirectionsColonial Lake Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMercer County Park50 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVillage Park63 acres
DirectionsMercer Meadows County Park - Rosedale Park District42 acres
DirectionsLawrence Nature Center7 acres
DirectionsMercer Meadows County Park - Farm History District6 acres
Weeden Park1 acres
DirectionsCharles Gilphin Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,050 conserved acres
22% of Lawrence Township’s land. Who manages Lawrence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,331 ac
Town or city1,052 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits581 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government471 ac
State natural resources177 ac
State conservation98 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)83 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,395 acAgricultural Easement · 1,190 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 358 acLocal Park · 185 acState Park · 177 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 694 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 99 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosedale Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 585 | Open |
| Laurie Trails Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 358 | Open |
| Port Mercer Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 269 | Open |
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park State Park | State natural resources | 177 | Open |
| Carson Road Woods Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Mercer County Unknown Local Other or Unknown | County | 135 | Open |
| Central Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Loveless Preserve Local Park | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
| Brearley Tract Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Shipetauken Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 65 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Lawrence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lawrence Township
Plus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lawrence Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Lawrence Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Lawrence Township
Lawrence Township Community Gardens
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miHorses · 2.5 miUnpaved · 6.6 mi
Laurie Chauncey Trail2.3 mi
Jogging Trail1.5 mi
Carson Road Woods - Green Trail1.3 mi
Maidenhead Trail1.0 mi
Carson Road Woods - Red Trail1.0 mi
Drexel Woods Blue Trail0.7 mi
power line trail0.6 mi
Loveless Nature Preserve Trail0.6 mi
Carson Road Woods - Yellow Trail0.6 mi
Kate's Trail0.4 mi
8 more trails
Pedestrian Path
0.4 mipower line path
0.3 miTwin Pines Trail
0.3 miTemporary LHT Connector
0.3 miDrexel Woods White Trail
0.2 miMaidenhead-Twin Pines
0.2 miBear Swamp Trail
0.2 miDrexel Woods Red Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
21 mi
off-road bike paths
Lawrence Hopewell TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
71Tennis
36Soccer
25Baseball
10Basketball
8Multi-sport
4Football
4Tracks
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Lawrence Township Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1972
About itJohn White HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itBaker-Brearley HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itSmith-Ribsam HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itHunt FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1988
About itJohn Van Buren Wicoff HouseBuilding · listed 1998
About itIsrael Stevens HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lawrence 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) | 40 | 43 | 52 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lawrence Township →
Next door
Lawrence Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hopewell Township96 miPrinceton48 miWest Windsor Township40 miLawrence Township27 miHamilton Township22 miEwing Township10 miTrenton6.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Township | 22% | 1.2 | 78 | 91% | A+ |
| Hamilton Township | 20% | 0.6 | 44 | 97% | A |
| Ewing Township | 12% | 0.7 | 16 | 94% | A− |
| West Windsor Township | 28% | 1.6 | 158 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Princeton | 20% | 2.7 | 66 | 99% | A+ |
| Hopewell Township | 35% | 1.7 | 461 | 79% | A+ |
| Trenton | 6% | 0.9 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lawrence Township
Where can I hike in Lawrence Township?
The longest trail networks: Carson Road Woods, 3.7 miles; Mercer Meadows County Park - Pole Farm District, 2.6 miles; Central Park, 1.5 miles; Shipetauken Woods, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lawrence Township is conserved land?
22% 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence Township?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes and 21 of off-road paths. Named routes: Lawrence Hopewell Trail.
Is there public land near Lawrence Township?
55,708 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lawrence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,588 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lawrence Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #87 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 Lawrence 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 →