Lewis Morris County Park
Managed by Morris County
778 acres11.8 mi of trail
Yellow TrailPatriots' PathRed TrailPink Dot Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mendham Township
Mendham Township has 41 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
2,431 acres are parks and preserves, 404 per 1,000 residents. 28% of Mendham Township’s land is conserved, about 3,142 acres. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #18 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
3,142 acres · of 17.8 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,431 ac
404 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
797 ft
Blueberry Ridge
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Mendham Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 95% of U.S. towns.Room to roam404 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild28% of the land is conserved; a typical New Jersey town, 11%.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mendham Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mendham Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Mendham Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land404 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,431 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 96%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Mendham Township’s 28% is ahead of 81% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 93% 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 Lewis Morris County Park, with 11.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Schiff Nature Preserve
Managed by Schiff Natural Lands Trust
460 acres8.3 mi of trail
bluepurpleFranklin Parker Trail (white/black)lavender+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dismal Harmony Natural Area
Nature preserve
357 acres3.9 mi of trail
Pink TrailYellow TrailPatriots' PathYellow Trail / Patriots' Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Buttermilk Falls Natural Area
Managed by Mendham Township
186 acres3.6 mi of trail
BlueYellowWhite TrailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
India Brook Park
Managed by Mendham Township
111 acres1.7 mi of trail
YellowWhite / Yellow
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Meadowbrook Park
Managed by Mendham Township
51 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
India Brook Natural Area
Managed by Mendham Township
58 acres0.8 mi of trail
White TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Burnett Brook Natural Area
Nature preserve
29 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Lewis Morris County Park778 acres · 11.8 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsSchiff Nature Preserve460 acres · 8.3 mi of trail · Schiff Natural Lands Trust
DirectionsDismal Harmony Natural Area357 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsButtermilk Falls Natural Area186 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Mendham Township
DirectionsIndia Brook Park111 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Mendham Township
DirectionsMeadowbrook Park51 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Mendham Township
DirectionsIndia Brook Natural Area58 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Mendham Township
DirectionsBurnett Brook Natural Area29 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMcVickers Brook Preserve10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Mendham Borough, Schiff Natural Lands Trust
Mosle Preserve and Recreation Area112 acres · Mendham Township, Schiff Natural Lands Trust
Tempe Wick Reserve51 acres · Mendham Township
DirectionsMount Paul Memorial Park2 acres · Morris County
Mount Paul Preserve2 acres · Schiff Natural Lands Trust
Who protects it
3,142 conserved acres
28% of Mendham Township’s land. Who manages Mendham Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city986 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits816 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government811 ac
County658 ac
Other state land111 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)79 ac
Joint48 ac
Unknown Easement · 610 acAgricultural Easement · 572 acLocal Other or Unknown · 570 acLocal Park · 547 acPrivate Conservation · 476 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 955 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 93 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Morris County Park Local Park | County | 367 | Open |
| Pleasant Valley Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 283 | Open |
| Mosle Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 222 | Open |
| Buttermilk Falls Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 207 | Open |
| Camp Jockey Hollow Private Conservation | Not recorded | 175 | Open |
| Dismal Harmony Natural Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 147 | Open |
| Schiff Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 96 | Open |
| India Brook Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 85 | Open |
| Brookside Community Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 79 | Open |
| Schiff Natural Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 74 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Mendham Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Mendham Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Mendham Township
Ralston Playground
DirectionsWaterfalls in Mendham Township
Buttermilk Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Mendham Township
Blueberry Ridge797 ft elevation · In Dismal Harmony Natural Area
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.4 miHorses · 11.4 miUnpaved · 18.7 mi
Patriots' Path5.7 mi
Yellow Trail5.3 mi
White Trail1.5 mi
Red Trail1.4 mi
Yellow1.3 mi
blue1.3 mi
Pink Trail1.3 mi
purple1.2 mi
Franklin Parker Trail (white/black)0.9 mi
lavender0.8 mi
15 more trails
Pink Dot Trail
0.6 miBlue Trail
0.6 miWhite / Yellow
0.6 migreen
0.5 miorange
0.5 mipurple spur
0.5 miBlue
0.5 miRandolph Trails
0.4 miPurple Singletrack
0.4 miPatriots' Path (Blue)
0.4 miYellow Trail / Patriots' Path
0.3 miRed Dot Trail / Restricted Vehicular Gravel Road (to Group Camping Area)
0.3 miWhite
0.3 miOrange Trail
0.3 miBlue Dot Trail
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route)Bike route
3.5 miCourts & fields
6Baseball
5Tennis
1Lacrosse
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Mendham Township: April to September
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Mendham Township →
Next door
Mendham Township and its neighbors
Mendham Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chester Township41 miMendham Township41 miRandolph Township25 miBernardsville8.5 miMendham5.9 miBrookside5.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendham Township | 28% | 2.3 | 404 | 94% | A+ |
| Chester Township | 44% | 1.4 | 864 | 85% | A+ |
| Mendham | 10% | 1.0 | 55 | 93% | A |
| Bernardsville | 9% | 0.7 | 58 | 90% | A |
| Randolph Township | 21% | 1.2 | 96 | 99% | A+ |
| Brookside | — 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 Mendham Township
Where can I hike in Mendham Township?
The longest trail networks: Lewis Morris County Park, 11.8 miles; Schiff Nature Preserve, 8.3 miles; Dismal Harmony Natural Area, 3.9 miles; Buttermilk Falls Natural Area, 3.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mendham Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Mendham Township’s trails?
Lewis Morris County Park and Schiff Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Mendham Township?
58,781 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mendham Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,431 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mendham Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 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 Mendham 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 →