Hilltop Reservation
Nature preserve
37 acres0.6 mi of trail
Spruce Trail - Outer LoopArrowhead Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: EdZa · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in North Caldwell
6% of North Caldwell’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
3.1 miles of mapped trail cross North Caldwell, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hilltop Reservation (0.6 mi). 6% of North Caldwell’s land is conserved, about 112 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #230 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
112 acres · of 3.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.1 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
113 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is North Caldwell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Caldwell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Caldwell is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #230 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 North Caldwell’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (113 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 51%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so North Caldwell’s 6% is ahead of 29% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% 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 Hilltop Reservation, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
112 conserved acres
6% of North Caldwell’s land. Who manages North Caldwell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city82 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government33 ac
County2 ac
State conservation2 ac
Not recorded19 ac
Local Park · 40 acRecreation or Education Easement · 33 acLocal Recreation Area · 26 acLocal Other or Unknown · 18 acPrivate Conservation · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltop Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Walkers Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Mountain Avenue Field Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| North Caldwell Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| North Caldwell Recreation Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Hilltop Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in North Caldwell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Caldwell
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in North Caldwell
Essex County Dog Park at Mountain Ave N Caldwell
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Arrowhead Trail0.2 mi
Spruce Trail - Outer Loop0.2 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
18Tennis
9Baseball
3Soccer
2Football
2Multi-sport
2Basketball
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Caldwell: 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) | 39 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in North Caldwell →
Next door
North Caldwell and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cedar Grove Township28 miVerona Township11 miWest Caldwell Township8.9 miFairfield Township6.8 miNorth Caldwell3.1 miLittle Falls Township2.7 miCaldwell1.0 miSingac0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Caldwell | 6% | 1.0 | 17 | 99% | A |
| Cedar Grove Township | 18% | 6.5 | 36 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Fairfield Township | 35% | 0.7 | 288 | 97% | A+ |
| West Caldwell Township | 19% | 1.7 | 57 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Verona Township | 15% | 3.9 | 18 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Caldwell | 5% | 0.8 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Singac | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Little Falls Township | 2% | 1.0 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Caldwell
Where can I hike in North Caldwell?
The longest trail networks: Hilltop Reservation, 0.6 miles; Liberty Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Caldwell is conserved land?
6% 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 North Caldwell’s trails?
Hilltop Reservation and Liberty Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near North Caldwell?
32,889 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Caldwell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 113 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Caldwell have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #230 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 North Caldwell 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 →