Stokes State Forest
Nature preserve
2,731 acres6.7 mi of trail
Blue Mountain Loop TrailRock Oak TrailAppalachian TrailCriss Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jared Kofsky · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Montague Township
More than half of Montague Township’s land is conserved: 70%
70% of Montague Township’s land is conserved, about 20,242 acres. 16,185 acres are parks and preserves, 4,222 per 1,000 residents. 42 miles of mapped trail cross Montague Township, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #86 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
70%
20,242 acres · of 45.2 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
16,185 ac
4,222 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.9 mi
Highest peak
1,808 ft
High Point
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Montague Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Montague Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Montague Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #86 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Montague Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land70% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land4,222 acres of park per 1,000 residents (16,185 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home73% 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 96%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 82%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Montague Township’s 70% is ahead of 100% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% 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 Stokes State Forest, with 6.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mashipacong Bogs Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
958 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto Rock Oak Tr ParkingWebsite ↗
Hainesville Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
436 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Managed by National Park Service
47 acres
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
20,242 conserved acres
70% of Montague Township’s land. Who manages Montague Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources14,677 ac
State parks14,134 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3,435 ac
National Park Service2,350 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,199 ac
County1,116 ac
State fish & wildlife859 ac
State Park · 34,808 acState Resource Management Area · 5,876 acPrivate Conservation · 3,362 acNational Recreation Area · 2,350 acState Conservation Area · 1,223 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,222 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 109 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point State Park State Park | State parks | 34,808 | Open |
| Stokes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 5,446 | Open |
| Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 2,350 | Open |
| Mashipacong Bogs Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,898 | Unknown |
| Hainesville Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 949 | Open |
| Mashipacong Bogs Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 937 | Open |
| Reinhardt Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 742 | Open |
| Kittatinny/Swartswood Matrix Block Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 216 | Unknown |
| Minisink Valley Preserve Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 186 | Open |
| Minisink Valley Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 157 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Montague Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Montague Township
High Point Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Montague Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Montague Township
Caddoo Access Hand Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Montague Township
Plus 14 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Montague Township
High Point1,808 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Montague Township
Sawmill Lake Camping Area
DirectionsSteam Mill Camping AreaIn Stokes State Forest · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsTrail Blazer CampsIn Mashipacong Bogs Preserve
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.4 miHorses · 14.8 miUnpaved · 14.7 mi
Appalachian Trail6.0 mi
Blue Mountain Loop Trail2.4 mi
Parker Trail2.4 mi
Mashipacong Trail2.3 mi
Monument Trail1.8 mi
Iris Trail1.5 mi
Rock Oak Trail1.4 mi
Shawangunk Ridge Trail1.3 mi
Cedar Swamp Trail1.3 mi
Ayers Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
Steenykill Trail
0.7 miMonument / Shawangunk Ridge Trail
0.7 miT441
0.6 miParker/Blue Mountain Loop Trail
0.6 miCriss Trail
0.5 miOld Trail
0.5 miBlue Mountain Trail
0.4 miFuller/Life Trail
0.4 miMonument/Shawangunk Ridge Trail
0.4 miRutherford Shelter Trail
0.4 miFuller Trail
0.4 miBlue Dot Trail
0.4 miLife Trail
0.3 miSwenson Trail
0.2 miCedar Swamp / Shawangunk Ridge Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
May is the best month for walking in Montague Township
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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Montague Township →
Next door
Montague Township and its neighbors
Montague Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sandyston Township62 miMontague Township42 miDingman Township29 miWantage Township28 miWestfall Township9.6 miMilford Township2.9 miMilford0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montague Township | 70% | 0.9 | 4,222 | 73% | A+ |
| Sandyston Township | 76% | 1.5 | 3,987 | 63% | A+ |
| Wantage Township | 33% | 0.4 | 419 | 47% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Montague Township
Where can I hike in Montague Township?
The longest trail networks: Stokes State Forest, 6.7 miles; Mashipacong Bogs Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Montague Township is conserved land?
70% 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 Montague Township’s trails?
Stokes State Forest and Mashipacong Bogs Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Montague Township?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Montague Township?
112,117 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Montague Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18,919 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Montague Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #86 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 Montague 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 →