Lions Park
Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Murray Hill Station · Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in New Providence
12% of New Providence’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. 12% of New Providence’s land is conserved, about 276 acres. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross New Providence, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #168 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
276 acres · of 3.7 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
257 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is New Providence?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Providence have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Providence is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #168 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Providence’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (257 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13BParks 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 92%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 64%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so New Providence’s 12% is ahead of 51% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 58% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veterans Memorial Park
Park
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Centennial Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Jaycees Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park9 acres
Oakwood Park8 acres
DirectionsLincoln Field4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
276 conserved acres
12% of New Providence’s land. Who manages New Providence’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city194 ac
County87 ac
Not recorded81 ac
Local Park · 189 acLocal Conservation Area · 119 acLocal Recreation Area · 41 acLocal Resource Management Area · 14 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passaic River Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 190 | Open |
| New Providence Borough Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Community Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Oakwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Roberts School Playground Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Warner Field Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Salt Brook Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Brook School Playground Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in New Providence
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in New Providence
Jaycees Park PlaygroundIn Jaycees Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in New Providence
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Nature Trail0.3 mi
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.
Courts & fields
21Tennis
11Baseball
7Basketball
5Soccer
3Football
2Pickleball
1Cricket
1Tracks
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). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Murray Hill StationBuilding · listed 1984
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in New Providence: April to June, August and 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in New Providence →
Next door
New Providence and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Providence | 12% | 0.8 | 19 | 99%+ | A |
| Chatham Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Berkeley Heights Township | 14% | 1.5 | 45 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Summit | 12% | 1.2 | 24 | 94% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Providence
Where can I hike in New Providence?
The longest trail networks: Veterans Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Providence is conserved land?
12% 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 New Providence’s trails?
Lions Park and Oakwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near New Providence?
34,041 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Providence or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 257 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Providence have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #168 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 New Providence 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 →