Photo: General Magnaplate · CC BY 3.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Linden
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Wheeler Park (1.3 mi), Veterans Memorial Park (1 mi). 220 acres are parks and preserves, 5.0 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #394 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Linden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Linden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Linden is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #394 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Linden’s 3% is ahead of 16% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% of them.
Water is 6% of Linden’s area (1 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Wheeler Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veterans Memorial Park
Peach Orchard Park
Fourth Ward Park
All 11 parks & preserves
213 conserved acres
3% of Linden’s land. Water is left out: Linden has 10.7 square miles of land and 0.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Linden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawk Rise Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| John Russell Wheeler Park Local Recreation Area | County | 25 | Open |
| James Iozzi Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Al Kalla Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Edw A Cooper Ath Fld Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| P.A.L. Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Woodrow Wilson Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Dr Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
16 places to go in Linden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Linden: 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Linden →
Linden and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linden | 3% | 0.4 | 5 | 99%+ | B |
| Carteret | 4% | 0.3 | 5 | 99%+ | B |
| Roselle | 13% | 0.3 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Cranford Township | 14% | 1.5 | 20 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Avenel | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Woodbridge Township | 5% | 0.5 | 9 | 94% | B+ |
| Elizabeth | 2% | 0.3 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Linden
Where can I hike in Linden?
The longest trail networks: Wheeler Park, 1.3 miles; Veterans Memorial Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Linden is conserved land?
3% 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 Linden’s trails?
Wheeler Park and Veterans Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Linden?
31,962 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Linden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 222 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Linden have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #394 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 Linden neighbors.
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 →