Lewis Morris County Park
Managed by Morris County
1,030 acres5.9 mi of trail
Patriots' PathPatriots' Path (Blue)Patriots' Path (Red)Blue+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Morris Township
13% of Morris Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 24 miles of mapped trail cross Morris Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 2,040 acres are parks and preserves, 87 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #50 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,289 acres · of 15.7 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,040 ac
87 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Highest peak
712 ft
Gillespie Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Morris Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical New Jersey town, 11%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 89% of U.S. towns.History along the way13 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Morris Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Morris Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #50 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Morris Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land87 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,040 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 90%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Morris Township’s 13% is ahead of 54% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% 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 Lewis Morris County Park, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Managed by Morris County Park Commission
102 acres3.3 mi of trail
Yellow TrailRed TrailPatriots' PathOrange Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Jones Pond Preserve
Managed by Morris Township
64 acres2.8 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow TrailRed TrailGreen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jockey Hollow Top Preserve
Managed by Morris Township
82 acres1.6 mi of trail
White TrailRed TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Loantaka Brook Reservation
Nature preserve
113 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Lewis Morris County Park1,030 acres · 5.9 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsFrelinghuysen Arboretum102 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Morris County Park Commission
DirectionsJones Pond Preserve64 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Morris Township
DirectionsJockey Hollow Top Preserve82 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Morris Township
DirectionsLoantaka Brook Reservation113 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsCornine Field6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Nonsense6 acres · National Park Service
Green Field5 acres
Dr. Donald A. Delpho Field3 acres · Township of Morris
DirectionsLake Road Field3 acres
DirectionsTraction Line Recreation Trail2 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Field2 acres
DirectionsBurnham Park1 acres
DirectionsHarding Land Trust1 acres
Beatrice R Tucker Field1 acres
Who protects it
1,289 conserved acres
13% of Morris Township’s land. Who manages Morris Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County664 ac
Town or city511 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government215 ac
National Park Service83 ac
State conservation2 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Not recorded303 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 713 acLocal Conservation Area · 396 acAgricultural Easement · 215 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 170 acLocal Recreation Area · 140 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 67 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fosterfields Living Historical Farm Local Historic or Cultural Area | County | 425 | Open |
| Morris Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 202 | Open |
| Lewis Morris County Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 187 | Open |
| Loantaka Brook Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 111 | Open |
| Patriots' Path Local Recreation Area | County | 108 | Open |
| Frelinghuysen Arboretum Local Historic or Cultural Area | County | 96 | Open |
| Morristown National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 83 | Restricted |
| Lake Manor Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Jones Woods Local Park | Not recorded | 35 | Open |
| School House Woods Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Morris Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Morris Township
Alfred Vail Playground
DirectionsGinty Playground
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Morris Township
Old Army AreaIn Lewis Morris County Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Morris Township
Silver Pond
DirectionsPeaks in Morris Township
Gillespie Hill712 ft elevation
DirectionsKemble Mountain545 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Morris Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Morris Township
Theodore Largman Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.4 miHorses · 4.9 miUnpaved · 10.1 mi
Patriots' Path3.3 mi
White Trail1.7 mi
Yellow Trail1.3 mi
Red Trail1.2 mi
Patriots' Path (Blue)1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.8 mi
Patriots' Path (Red)0.7 mi
Green Trail0.4 mi
Greenstrip Trail0.4 mi
White0.3 mi
7 more trails
Orange Trail
0.3 miYellow
0.2 miPurple Trail
0.2 miTeal Trail
0.1 miBlue Trail/Green Trail
0.1 miBlue
0.1 miQuadzilla
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route)Bike route
2.9 miCourts & fields
48Tennis
30Baseball
17Soccer
10Basketball
3Lacrosse
3Equestrian
3Pickleball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Morristown National Historical ParkSite · listed 1966
About itJoseph W. Revere HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itWashington Valley SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itJohn Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itWhippany FarmBuilding · listed 1977
About itThorne and Eddy EstatesBuilding · listed 1978
About itAlnwick HallBuilding · listed 1985
About itGlynallenBuilding · listed 1987
About itFosterfieldsBuilding · listed 1991
About itWashington Valley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itMorristown SchoolBuilding · listed 1996
About itNormandy ParkDistrict · listed 1996
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Morris 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) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 84 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Morris Township →
Next door
Morris Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harding Township45 miParsippany-Troy Hills Township43 miMorris Township24 miDenville Township23 miHanover Township6.3 miWhippany5.7 miMorris Plains1.6 miCedar Knolls0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Township | 13% | 1.5 | 87 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Hanover Township | 13% | 0.6 | 61 | 99%+ | A |
| Harding Township | 53% | 2.2 | 188 | 75% | A+ |
| Parsippany-Troy Hills Township | 25% | 1.8 | 67 | 99% | A+ |
| Cedar Knolls | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Morris Plains | 8% | 0.6 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Whippany | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Denville Township | 21% | 1.9 | 86 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Morris Township
Where can I hike in Morris Township?
The longest trail networks: Lewis Morris County Park, 5.9 miles; Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 3.3 miles; Jones Pond Preserve, 2.8 miles; Jockey Hollow Top Preserve, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Morris Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Morris Township’s trails?
Lewis Morris County Park and Frelinghuysen Arboretum don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Morris Township?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 2.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route).
Is there public land near Morris Township?
59,857 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Morris Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,042 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Morris Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 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 Morris 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 →