Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
4,895 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Smallbones · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Middle Township
More than half of Middle Township’s land is conserved: 54%
54% of Middle Township’s land is conserved, about 24,233 acres. 15,719 acres are parks and preserves, 775 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (3.7 mi), Cape May County Park & Zoo (1.8 mi), Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #160 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
54%
24,233 acres · of 70.2 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
15,719 ac
775 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
6.5 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Highest peak
7 ft
Potato Island
Lakes & rivers
8
12 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Middle Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Middle Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Middle Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #160 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 Middle Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land54% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land775 acres of park per 1,000 residents (15,719 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 66%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Middle Township’s 54% is ahead of 98% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 31% of them.
Water is 15% of Middle Township’s area (13 of 83 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 46%.
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 Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cape May County Park & Zoo
Park
117 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
3,264 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cape May Coastal Wetlands Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
7,570 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge4,895 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsCape May County Park & Zoo117 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsDennis Creek Wildlife Management Area3,264 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
Cape May Coastal Wetlands Wildlife Management Area7,570 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Wetlands Institute30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Beaver Swamp Wildlife Management Area1,797 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
Cape May County Park South - Fishing Creek Wildlife Preserve762 acres · Cape May County
Stone Harbor Point19 acres
Who protects it
24,233 conserved acres
54% of Middle Township’s land. Water is left out: Middle Township has 70.2 square miles of land and 12.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Middle Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife17,680 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service5,405 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5,305 ac
County3,153 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,242 ac
Town or city1,092 ac
Other state land443 ac
State Conservation Area · 14,697 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 5,405 acPrivate Conservation · 5,268 acState Resource Management Area · 5,066 acAgricultural Easement · 3,186 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,632 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 43 of 237 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May Coastal Wetlands Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 8,342 | Open |
| Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 7,010 | Open |
| Cape May National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 5,405 | Restricted |
| Beaver Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,594 | Open |
| Lizard Tail Swamp Site Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,711 | Unknown |
| Cape May County Park South Local Other or Unknown | County | 1,684 | Open |
| Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,300 | Open |
| Indian Trail Swamp Site Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 852 | Unknown |
| Conservation Land Local Park | Not recorded | 806 | Open |
| Delaware Bayshore Macrosite Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 650 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Middle Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Middle Township
Cooks Beach
DirectionsSunray Beach
DirectionsPlus 10 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Middle Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Middle Township
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Peaks in Middle Township
Potato Island7 ft elevation · In Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsPicnic areas in Middle Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Middle Township
Adventure Bound Camping Resort
DirectionsKing Nummy Trail Camoground
DirectionsPonderosa CampgroundFee
DirectionsShellbay Campground
DirectionsPlus 3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.7 mi
Lizard Tail Swamp Yellow Trail2.0 mi
Blue Trail1.0 mi
Pennsylvania Ponds0.9 mi
NJ State Long Trail0.7 mi
Boardwalk0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
3.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Pickleball
12Tennis
12Baseball
8Basketball
7Soccer
2Multi-sport
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 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.
New Asbury Methodist Episcopal MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itOld Cape May County Courthouse BuildingBuilding · listed 1981
About itThomas Leaming HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itThomas Beesley Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1998
About itGoshen SchoolBuilding · listed 2014
About itCresse-Holmes House Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 2025
About itColonial Knitting MillsBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Middle Township: April to July
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 45 | 52 | 62 | 71 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 67 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Middle Township →
Next door
Middle Township and its neighbors
Middle Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dennis Township50 miMiddle Township25 miLower Township20 miAvalon4.2 miStone Harbor2.2 miNorth Wildwood1.8 miVillas0.7 miSouth Dennis0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Township | 54% | 0.4 | 775 | 81% | A |
| Dennis Township | 62% | 0.8 | 1,477 | 59% | A |
| Avalon | 67% | 1.0 | 1,244 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Wildwood | 15% | 1.0 | 30 | 99%+ | A+ |
| South Dennis | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lower Township | 38% | 0.7 | 258 | 97% | A+ |
| Villas | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stone Harbor | — 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 Middle Township
Where can I hike in Middle Township?
The longest trail networks: Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, 3.7 miles; Cape May County Park & Zoo, 1.8 miles; Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area, 1.1 miles; Cape May Coastal Wetlands Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Middle Township is conserved land?
54% 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 Middle Township’s trails?
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge and Cape May County Park & Zoo don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Middle Township?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 3.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Middle Township?
76,418 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Middle Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 16,137 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Middle Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #160 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 Middle 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 →