Monroe Township Soccer Complex
Park
22 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Mlaurenti at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Monroe Township
Monroe Township has 3,317 acres of parks, 68 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Monroe Township’s land is conserved, about 2,626 acres. The biggest trail networks: Monroe Township Soccer Complex (0.8 mi). 25 miles of mapped trail cross Monroe Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #239 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,626 acres · of 41.9 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,317 ac
68 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Monroe Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Monroe Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe Township is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #239 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land68 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,317 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home79% 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 85%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 49%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Monroe Township’s 10% is ahead of 46% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% 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 Monroe Township Soccer Complex, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
James Monroe Park
Managed by Monroe Township
23 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Veterans Park
Park
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,626 conserved acres
10% of Monroe Township’s land. Who manages Monroe Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,318 ac
Other state land577 ac
Town or city412 ac
State natural resources329 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government177 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)37 ac
Not recorded317 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,104 acLocal Park · 696 acLocal Conservation Area · 630 acState Park · 329 acLocal Recreation Area · 199 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,056 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Monroe Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 537 | Open |
| Thompson Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 364 | Open |
| Monmouth Battlefield State Park State Park | State natural resources | 329 | Open |
| Manalapan Brook Greenway Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 247 | Open |
| Jamesburg Park Local Conservation Area | County | 138 | Open |
| Story Farm Local Conservation Area | County | 104 | Open |
| Matchaponix Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 99 | Open |
| Old Landfill Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 86 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Matchaponix/Kensington Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Monroe Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Monroe Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Monroe Township
Venue Dog Park
DirectionsVenue Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Monroe Township
Thompson Park Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Monroe Township
Venue Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.6 mi
Red Trail1.5 mi
Gravel Hill Trail (white)1.4 mi
Yellow Trail0.9 mi
Blue Trail0.9 mi
Green Trail0.8 mi
Fitness Nature Trail0.6 mi
Orange Trail0.5 mi
Lincoln Boulevard0.4 mi
Gravel Hill Trail (White)0.4 mi
White Trail0.3 mi
5 more trails
Powerline Cut
0.3 miSwing Hill Trail (Blue)
0.3 miYellow Trail Spur
0.1 miSwing Hill Shortcut
0.1 miHoffman Station Trail (red)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
11Baseball
7Soccer
6Pickleball
5Basketball
2Equestrian
1Cricket
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Holmes-Tallman HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Monroe 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) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Monroe Township →
Next door
Monroe Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Manalapan Township36 miOld Bridge Township33 miMillstone Township33 miMonroe Township25 miEast Windsor Township20 miTwin Rivers12 miCranbury Township2.4 miHelmetta0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | 10% | 0.6 | 68 | 79% | A− |
| Old Bridge Township | 22% | 0.9 | 82 | 90% | A |
| Helmetta | 36% | 1.0 | 77 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Manalapan Township | 12% | 1.2 | 54 | 87% | A |
| Twin Rivers | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Windsor Township | 23% | 1.3 | 45 | 98% | A+ |
| Cranbury Township | 33% | 0.2 | 78 | 96% | A |
| Millstone Township | 26% | 0.9 | 525 | 86% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monroe Township
Where can I hike in Monroe Township?
The longest trail networks: Monroe Township Soccer Complex, 0.8 miles; James Monroe Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Monroe Township’s trails?
Monroe Township Soccer Complex and James Monroe Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe Township?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Monroe Township?
68,413 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,317 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Monroe Township have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #239 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 Monroe 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 →