Big Brook Park
Park
422 acres3.8 mi of trail
Headwaters TrailHillside TrailField Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Old Scots Burying Ground · Photo: Apc106 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Marlboro Township
14% of Marlboro Township’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
14% of Marlboro Township’s land is conserved, about 2,687 acres. 2,406 acres are parks and preserves, 58 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Big Brook Park (3.8 mi), Big Brook Park - Bradevelt Station (3.3 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #198 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,687 acres · of 30.3 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,406 ac
58 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
7.5 mi paths
Highest peak
269 ft
Beacon Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Marlboro Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marlboro Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marlboro Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #198 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marlboro Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land58 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,406 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home99% 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 58%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Marlboro Township’s 14% is ahead of 56% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% 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 Big Brook Park, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Brook Park - Bradevelt Station
Nature preserve
480 acres3.3 mi of trail
Hillside Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wickatunk Recreation Area
Managed by Monmouth County Parks
43 acres
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
Vandengurg Soccer Complex
Managed by Marlboro Township
19 acres
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Big Brook Park422 acres · 3.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Brook Park - Bradevelt Station480 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWickatunk Recreation Area43 acres · Monmouth County Parks
Vandengurg Soccer Complex19 acres · Marlboro Township
Hawkins Road Park6 acres
DirectionsCamelot at Marlboro Apartments park1 acres
Who protects it
2,687 conserved acres
14% of Marlboro Township’s land. Who manages Marlboro Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,646 ac
County972 ac
Other state land110 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits62 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Not recorded353 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,191 acLocal Park · 905 acAgricultural Easement · 702 acLocal Conservation Area · 117 acLocal Recreation Area · 84 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 455 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 56 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 1,131 | Open |
| Big Brook Park Local Park | County | 422 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 303 | Open |
| Airport Recreation Area Local Other or Unknown | County | 101 | Open |
| Marlboro Township Wooded Lot Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 82 | Open |
| Recreation and Community Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Marlboro Country Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Marlboro Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Vanderburg Park Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Marlboro Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Marlboro Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Marlboro Township
Paddock Club Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Marlboro Township
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Marlboro Township
Marlboro Township Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Peaks in Marlboro Township
Beacon Hill269 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Marlboro Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.2 miHorses · 5.2 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Headwaters Trail1.4 mi
Hillside Trail1.1 mi
Track Edge Trail0.3 mi
Foot Path to Lenni Lenape Burial Site0.3 mi
Field Connector0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Baseball
15Tennis
14Soccer
10Basketball
4Tracks
3Football
2Pickleball
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Marlboro 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) | 42 | 44 | 52 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Marlboro Township →
Next door
Marlboro Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Manalapan Township36 miHolmdel Township34 miFreehold Township31 miColts Neck Township23 miMarlboro Township10 miEast Freehold4.6 miMorganville1.7 miRobertsville0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro Township | 14% | 0.3 | 58 | 99% | A |
| Holmdel Township | 18% | 1.9 | 100 | 97% | A+ |
| Freehold Township | 30% | 0.8 | 224 | 87% | A+ |
| Colts Neck Township | 14% | 0.7 | 196 | 94% | A |
| Manalapan Township | 12% | 1.2 | 54 | 87% | A |
| Morganville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Freehold | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| 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 Marlboro Township
Where can I hike in Marlboro Township?
The longest trail networks: Big Brook Park, 3.8 miles; Big Brook Park - Bradevelt Station, 3.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marlboro Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Marlboro Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Wickatunk Recreation Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marlboro Township?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marlboro Township?
48,817 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marlboro Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,406 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marlboro Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #198 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 Marlboro 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 →