Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.09% of Matawan’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 9% of Matawan’s land is conserved, about 134 acres. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Matawan, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #236 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Matawan?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Matawan have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Matawan is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #236 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Matawan’s 9% is ahead of 44% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 39% of them.
Water is 6% of Matawan’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Freneau Park
All 6 parks & preserves
134 conserved acres
9% of Matawan’s land. Water is left out: Matawan has 2.3 square miles of land and 0.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Matawan’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wetlands Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 82 | Open |
| Gravelly Brook Local Park | Not recorded | 44 | Open |
| Henry Hudson Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 10 | Open |
| Matawan Recreation Center Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
| Jeremiah E. Hourihan Field Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Freneau Baseball Field Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Matawan Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Middlesex Baseball Field Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Matawan Borough Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
5 places to go in Matawan
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3 lakes & rivers
1.2 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Matawan: 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) | 41 | 44 | 51 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Matawan →
Matawan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matawan | 9% | 0.5 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Aberdeen Township | 15% | 0.8 | 32 | 99%+ | A |
| Strathmore | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Morganville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marlboro Township | 14% | 0.3 | 58 | 99% | A |
| Old Bridge Township | 22% | 0.9 | 82 | 90% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Matawan
Where can I hike in Matawan?
The longest trail networks: Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Matawan is conserved land?
9% 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 Matawan’s trails?
Gravelly Brook Park and Terhune Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Matawan?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Matawan?
27,717 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Matawan or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 155 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Matawan have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #236 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 Matawan 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 →