Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
10,881 acres74.6 mi of trail
Role Bridge Bridge
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Mpftmead at English Wikipedia · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Manchester Township
36% of Manchester Township’s land is conserved: 18,689 acres
163 miles of mapped trail cross Manchester Township, 2.0 per square mile of land. 12,204 acres are parks and preserves, 266 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (74.6 mi), Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area (27.2 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #44 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
36%
18,689 acres · of 81.4 sq mi of land
Trails
163 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
12,204 ac
266 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
29 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
3 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Manchester Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manchester Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manchester Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #44 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 Manchester Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land36% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (163 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land266 acres of park per 1,000 residents (12,204 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home81% 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 98%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 91%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Manchester Township’s 36% is ahead of 90% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% 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 Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, with 74.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
4,274 acres27.2 mi of trail
Cedar Creek TrailSnuffy's Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
6th Ave Playground
Park
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest10,881 acres · 74.6 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area4,274 acres · 27.2 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
Knoll Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Pine Lake Park5 acres
Directions6th Ave Playground3 acres
Who protects it
18,689 conserved acres
36% of Manchester Township’s land. Who manages Manchester Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife11,692 ac
State natural resources6,473 ac
County1,184 ac
Town or city1,063 ac
Other state land891 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits483 ac
Joint148 ac
State Resource Management Area · 9,912 acState Conservation Area · 9,060 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,271 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,022 acPrivate Conservation · 311 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 52 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 85 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 | 7,208 | Open |
| Brendan T. Byrne State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 6,472 | Open |
| Manchester Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,301 | Open |
| Whiting Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,181 | Open |
| Davenport Branch Local Other or Unknown | County | 1,019 | Open |
| Crossley Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 808 | Open |
| Harry Wright Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 408 | Open |
| unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 352 | Open |
| Americas Keswick Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 275 | Closed |
| Harry Wright Lake Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 218 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Manchester Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Manchester Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Manchester Township
WWII Memorial Park Playground
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Manchester Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Manchester Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Manchester Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Manchester Township
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miUnpaved · 18.1 mi
NJ State Long Trail3.4 mi
Harry Wright Park2.7 mi
Cedar Creek Trail0.6 mi
Snuffy's Turnpike0.6 mi
Roosevelt Boulevard0.3 mi
Harry Wright Boulevard0.2 mi
Role Bridge Bridge0.2 mi
Pennsylvania Railroad Amboy Division0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
29 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
28 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
32Tennis
15Basketball
15Baseball
8Soccer
6Pickleball
4Football
3Beach volleyball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Manchester 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Manchester Township →
Next door
Manchester Township and its neighbors
Manchester Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lacey Township192 miManchester Township163 miJackson Township107 miToms River Township31 miHoliday City-Berkeley7.9 miPine Ridge at Crestwood2.4 miPine Lake Park1.9 miCedar Glen West1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Township | 36% | 2.0 | 266 | 81% | A+ |
| Toms River Township | 9% | 0.8 | 31 | 77% | A− |
| Lacey Township | 63% | 2.3 | 994 | 93% | A+ |
| Jackson Township | 17% | 1.1 | 322 | 69% | A |
| Pine Lake Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pine Ridge at Crestwood | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Holiday City-Berkeley | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cedar Glen West | — 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 Manchester Township
Where can I hike in Manchester Township?
The longest trail networks: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, 74.6 miles; Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, 27.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manchester Township is conserved land?
36% 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 Manchester Township’s trails?
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manchester Township?
29 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.7 of off-road paths and 28 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Manchester Township?
173,353 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manchester Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 23,119 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manchester Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #44 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 Manchester 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 →