Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.08% of North Plainfield’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. 8% of North Plainfield’s land is conserved, about 136 acres. 146 acres are parks and preserves, 6.4 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #368 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is North Plainfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does North Plainfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Plainfield is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #368 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so North Plainfield’s 8% is ahead of 37% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 19% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Green Acres Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
136 conserved acres
8% of North Plainfield’s land. Who manages North Plainfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Brook Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 79 | Open |
| Stony Brook Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| North Plainfield Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Vermeule Center Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Stony Brook Field Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in North Plainfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in North Plainfield: 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Plainfield →
North Plainfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Plainfield | 8% | 0.2 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Plainfield | 7% | 0.3 | 5 | 99% | B |
| Watchung | 3% | 0.1 | 19 | 95% | B |
| Green Brook Township | 5% | 0.2 | 24 | 85% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Plainfield
Where can I hike in North Plainfield?
The longest trail networks: Green Acres Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Plainfield is conserved land?
8% 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 Plainfield’s trails?
Green Acres Park and Green Brook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near North Plainfield?
29,734 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Plainfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 146 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Plainfield have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #368 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 Plainfield neighbors.
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 →