Wharton State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
2,924 acres7.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Medford Township
33% of Medford Township’s land is conserved: 8,070 acres
2,102 acres are parks and preserves, 85 per 1,000 residents. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Wharton State Forest (7.4 mi), Freedom Park (2.7 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #125 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
8,070 acres · of 38.8 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,102 ac
85 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.2 mi
4.4 mi lanes · 0.8 mi paths
Highest peak
151 ft
Jackson Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Medford Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Medford Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Medford Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #125 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Medford Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land85 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,102 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home95% 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 94%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 73%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Medford Township’s 33% is ahead of 87% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% 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 Wharton State Forest, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Freedom Park
Park
160 acres2.7 mi of trail
Rex TrailDaisy TrailShiloh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Still Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
8,070 conserved acres
33% of Medford Township’s land. Who manages Medford Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County4,649 ac
State natural resources2,911 ac
Other state land1,592 ac
Town or city1,488 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,022 ac
State parks478 ac
State fish & wildlife214 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,422 acAgricultural Easement · 3,423 acLocal Park · 1,191 acUnknown Easement · 708 acRecreation or Education Easement · 554 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,112 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 168 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 4,160 | Open |
| Burlington Co. Camps Acquisition Local Park | County | 555 | Open |
| Bear Swamp at Red Lion Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 537 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 342 | Open |
| Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 335 | Closed |
| Camp Ockanickon Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 320 | Closed |
| Wurst Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 230 | Open |
| Medford Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 226 | Open |
| Medford Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 214 | Open |
| The Point Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 153 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Medford Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Medford Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Medford Township
2 swimming spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Medford Township
Flying W Airport Pool
DirectionsDog parks in Medford Township
Freedom Barks Dog ParkIn Freedom Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Peaks in Medford Township
Jackson Hill151 ft elevation
DirectionsSharps Mountain125 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Medford Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Medford Township
YMCA of the Pines
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miHorses · 4.1 miUnpaved · 4.6 mi
Perimeter Trail1.1 mi
Medford Loop 31.1 mi
Medford Loop 10.8 mi
Medford Loop 20.8 mi
Medford Trails0.7 mi
Medford Loop 40.7 mi
Daisy Trail0.2 mi
Rex Trail0.2 mi
Shiloh Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Birchwood LakereservoirBlue LakereservoirBraddocks MillpondreservoirCentennial LakereservoirFlying Duck LakereservoirGooselakeLake PinereservoirLake StockwellreservoirMimosa LakesreservoirPapoose LakereservoirRico LakeTaunton LakereservoirTimber LakereservoirUpper Stokes PondWest Jersey Cranberry Meadow
Biking & sports
5.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
33Tennis
30Soccer
29Baseball
12Basketball
5Volleyball
4Pickleball
4Football
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Medford 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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
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 Medford Township →
Next door
Medford Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Waterford Township94 miTabernacle Township92 miShamong Township82 miEvesham Township26 miMedford Township21 miSouthampton Township8.3 miMount Laurel Township7.6 miAtco3.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford Township | 33% | 0.5 | 85 | 95% | A |
| Southampton Township | 22% | 0.2 | 269 | 80% | A− |
| Waterford Township | 3% | 2.6 | 22 | 77% | A− |
| Atco | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Evesham Township | 21% | 0.9 | 60 | 92% | A |
| Shamong Township | 17% | 1.9 | 59 | 86% | A+ |
| Tabernacle Township | 27% | 1.9 | 227 | 62% | A |
| Mount Laurel Township | 11% | 0.3 | 30 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Medford Township
Where can I hike in Medford Township?
The longest trail networks: Wharton State Forest, 7.4 miles; Freedom Park, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Medford Township is conserved land?
33% 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 Medford Township’s trails?
Wharton State Forest and Freedom Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Medford Township?
5.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of painted or protected lanes and 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Medford Township?
97,742 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Medford Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,074 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Medford Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #125 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 Medford 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 →