Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
8,003 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Hornbaker Chelsi, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Long Beach Township
38% of Long Beach Township’s land is conserved: 1,323 acres
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Long Beach Township, 0.6 per square mile of land. 55 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #189 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
1,323 acres · of 5.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
55 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
7.3 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Long Beach Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Long Beach Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Long Beach Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #189 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Long Beach Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (55 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13BParks 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)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 60%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Long Beach Township’s 38% is ahead of 92% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% of them.
Water is more than half of Long Beach Township’s area (17 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1,205 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Brigantine Wilderness
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
273 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clam Cove Reserve
Nature preserve
30 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Brigantine Wilderness273 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Clam Cove Reserve30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Island Beach State Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve8,003 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsEdwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge1,205 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Joan Road Park2 acres
Who protects it
1,323 conserved acres
38% of Long Beach Township’s land. Water is left out: Long Beach Township has 5.4 square miles of land and 16.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Long Beach Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,500 ac
Town or city32 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government29 ac
County7 ac
State natural resources2 ac
State conservation2 ac
Not recorded19 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,500 acLocal Park · 58 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 acLocal Conservation Area · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,500 | Restricted |
| Beachfront Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 27 | Open |
| Bayview Park Local Park | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
| High Bar Harbor Local Other or Unknown | County | 7 | Open |
| Long Beach Township Beach or Boardwalk Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Municipal Beach Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Long Beach Township Athletic Facility Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Maintained Ocean Beach Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Beach Haven Inlet Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Long Beach Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Long Beach Township
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Long Beach Township
High Bar Harbor Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Long Beach Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Long Beach Township
South End OverlookIn Brigantine Wilderness
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.3 mi
Hideaway Bay Nature Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
38Tennis
6Pickleball
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Long Beach 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) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 44 | 50 | 60 | 69 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Long Beach Township →
Next door
Long Beach Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Little Egg Harbor Township93 miStafford Township64 miOcean Township30 miEagleswood Township26 miBarnegat Light5.0 miLong Beach Township3.0 miNorth Beach Haven1.7 miBeach Haven0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Township | 38% | 0.6 | 17 | 98% | A |
| North Beach Haven | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stafford Township | 62% | 1.4 | 347 | 92% | A+ |
| Ocean Township | 28% | 1.4 | 591 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Eagleswood Township | 66% | 1.6 | 1,351 | 34% | A |
| Little Egg Harbor Township | 52% | 2.0 | 633 | 78% | A+ |
| Beach Haven | 7% | 0.9 | 34 | 99%+ | A |
| Barnegat Light | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Long Beach Township
Where can I hike in Long Beach Township?
The longest trail networks: Brigantine Wilderness, 0.1 miles; Clam Cove Reserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Long Beach Township is conserved land?
38% 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 Long Beach Township’s trails?
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Long Beach Township?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of painted or protected lanes and 6.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Long Beach Township?
62,494 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Long Beach Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 55 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Long Beach Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #189 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 Long Beach 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 →