Monmouth Battlefield State Park
Nature preserve
1,214 acres16.5 mi of trail
Sutfin Woods Horse TrailRed TrailGreen TrailCombs Hill Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tinton5 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Manalapan Township
Manalapan Township has 36 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
2,178 acres are parks and preserves, 54 per 1,000 residents. 12% of Manalapan Township’s land is conserved, about 2,418 acres. The biggest trail networks: Monmouth Battlefield State Park (16.5 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #157 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
2,418 acres · of 30.7 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,178 ac
54 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
17
What kind of outdoors town is Manalapan Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manalapan Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manalapan Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #157 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manalapan Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land54 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,178 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 67%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Manalapan Township’s 12% is ahead of 52% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% of them.
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 Monmouth Battlefield State Park, with 16.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Holiday Park
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Balmar Woods Park
Park
4 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Monmouth Battlefield State Park1,214 acres · 16.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHoliday Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Manalapan Arboretum4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBalmar Woods Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bucks Head Park3 acres
Who protects it
2,418 conserved acres
12% of Manalapan Township’s land. Who manages Manalapan Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,696 ac
Town or city1,213 ac
Other state land390 ac
State natural resources281 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)79 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government67 ac
Private owners4 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,560 acState Park · 281 acLocal Conservation Area · 270 acLocal Recreation Area · 247 acRecreation or Education Easement · 148 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,461 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 152 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth Battlefield State Park State Park | State natural resources | 281 | Open |
| Manalapan Recreation Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 185 | Open |
| Lafayette Mills Rd. Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 78 | Open |
| Thompson Grove Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Pine Brook Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 62 | Open |
| Manalapan Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Wynn Coop Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| McGellards Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Holiday Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Colonial Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Manalapan Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Manalapan Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Manalapan Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Peaks in Manalapan Township
Combs HillIn Monmouth Battlefield State Park
DirectionsPerrine HillIn Monmouth Battlefield State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Manalapan Township
Thompson Grove Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Manalapan Township
Quail Hill Scout ReservationMonmouth Council BSA
DirectionsDisc golf in Manalapan Township
"The Grove" Disc Golf CourseManalapan Township
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 2.0 miUnpaved · 2.0 mi
Sutfin Woods Horse Trail2.0 mi
Red Trail1.6 mi
Green Trail0.4 mi
Combs Hill Path0.4 mi
Red and Green Trails0.3 mi
Green and Yellow Trail0.2 mi
Yellow Trail0.2 mi
Red, Green, and Yellow Trails0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bloomfield PondpondBristol PondpondEquestirain Estates Pond NorthpondEquestrian Estates Pond SouthpondHedgerow PondpondHidden PondpondKrazy PondpondLittle Hidden PondpondMib PondpondMillhurst PondreservoirPalomino PondpondPegasus PondpondRegency PondpondSecretariat PondpondWhirlaway PondpondWintergreen PondpondManalapan Brook
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Soccer
13Tennis
12Basketball
12Baseball
4Pickleball
2Football
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Manalapan 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 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Manalapan Township →
Next door
Manalapan Township and its neighbors
Manalapan Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Manalapan Township36 miMillstone Township33 miFreehold Township31 miMonroe Township25 miMarlboro Township10 miRobertsville0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manalapan Township | 12% | 1.2 | 54 | 87% | A |
| Monroe Township | 10% | 0.6 | 68 | 79% | A− |
| Millstone Township | 26% | 0.9 | 525 | 86% | A+ |
| Marlboro Township | 14% | 0.3 | 58 | 99% | A |
| Freehold Township | 30% | 0.8 | 224 | 87% | A+ |
| Robertsville | — 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 Manalapan Township
Where can I hike in Manalapan Township?
The longest trail networks: Monmouth Battlefield State Park, 16.5 miles; Holiday Park, 0.4 miles; Manalapan Arboretum, 0.4 miles; Balmar Woods Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manalapan Township is conserved land?
12% 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 Manalapan Township’s trails?
Monmouth Battlefield State Park and Holiday Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manalapan Township?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Manalapan Township?
63,722 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manalapan Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,178 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manalapan Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #157 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 Manalapan 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 →