Cheesequake State Park
Managed by New Jersey State Park Service
1,472 acres12.4 mi of trail
White TrailGreen TrailBlue TrailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: State of New Jersey, Dept of Parks and Forestry · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Old Bridge Township
22% of Old Bridge Township’s land is conserved: 5,504 acres
5,619 acres are parks and preserves, 82 per 1,000 residents. 33 miles of mapped trail cross Old Bridge Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cheesequake State Park (12.4 mi), Mannino Park (0.6 mi), Cliffwood Beach Waterfront Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #121 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,504 acres · of 38.2 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,619 ac
82 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
9 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Old Bridge Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Old Bridge Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Old Bridge Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #121 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 Old Bridge Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land82 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,619 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home90% 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 95%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 74%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Old Bridge Township’s 22% is ahead of 74% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 61% of them.
Water is 7% of Old Bridge Township’s area (3 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Cheesequake State Park, with 12.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mannino Park
Nature preserve
197 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cliffwood Beach Waterfront Park
Park
10 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Pirates Cove Parking
All 9 parks & preserves
Cheesequake State Park1,472 acres · 12.4 mi of trail · New Jersey State Park Service
DirectionsMannino Park197 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCliffwood Beach Waterfront Park10 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCottrell Farm Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Bridge Waterfront Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGeick Park32 acres
DirectionsLakeridge Recreation Area2 acres
Oak Woods Park1 acres
Who protects it
5,504 conserved acres
22% of Old Bridge Township’s land. Water is left out: Old Bridge Township has 38.2 square miles of land and 2.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Old Bridge Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,848 ac
State natural resources1,571 ac
Town or city1,154 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)59 ac
Not recorded3,105 ac
State Park · 2,677 acLocal Conservation Area · 2,621 acLocal Other or Unknown · 2,165 acLocal Park · 419 acConservation Easement · 376 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 449 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 88 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| John A Philips Preserve Local Other or Unknown | County | 3,266 | Open |
| Cheesequake State Park State Park | State natural resources | 2,682 | Open |
| Deep Run Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 524 | Open |
| Cedar Ridge Local Park | Not recorded | 395 | Open |
| Old Bridge Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 206 | Unknown |
| Burnt Fly Bog Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 164 | Open |
| Old Bridge Waterfront Park Local Park | County | 159 | Open |
| Deep Run Local Park | Not recorded | 153 | Open |
| Matchoponix Presidential Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| John A. Philips Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 55 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Old Bridge Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Old Bridge Township
Hooks Creek Lake BeachIn Cheesequake State Park
DirectionsLaurence Harbor Beach
DirectionsPaul's Beach
DirectionsSeidler Beach
DirectionsSeidler's Beach
DirectionsPlus 4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Old Bridge Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Old Bridge Township
John A. Phillips Park Playground
DirectionsMannino Park PlaygroundIn Mannino Park
DirectionsRose Gate Playground
DirectionsWhispering Pines Estate Playground
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Old Bridge Township
Scenic View - Tidal CreeksIn Cheesequake State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Old Bridge Township
Cheesequake State Park CampgroundHours: Apr-Oct · In Cheesequake State Park · New Jersey State Park Service
DirectionsCheesequake State Park Group CampgroundHours: May-Oct · In Cheesequake State Park · New Jersey State Park Service
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miUnpaved · 16.2 mi
White Trail2.1 mi
Green Trail1.9 mi
Blue Trail1.0 mi
Orange Blueberry Flats Trail0.9 mi
Yellow Trail0.8 mi
Del Pinos Loop0.7 mi
White Pleasant Valley Trail0.6 mi
Blue Old Bridge Sands Trail0.5 mi
Blue / Green / Red Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Nature Trail0.4 mi
7 more trails
Orange Trail
0.3 miWhite Pine Glen Spur
0.3 miGreen / Red Trail
0.3 miBlue / Red Trail
0.3 miShort Loop
0.1 miPowerline Spur
0.1 miBlue / Green / Red / Yellow Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
45Tennis
29Baseball
19Basketball
15Pickleball
11Soccer
4Football
3Softball
1Cricket
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Cedar Grove SchoolBuilding · listed 1976
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Old Bridge Township: 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 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Old Bridge Township →
Next door
Old Bridge Township and its neighbors
Old Bridge Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
East Brunswick Township35 miOld Bridge Township33 miMonroe Township25 miSayreville22 miAberdeen Township4.3 miLaurence Harbor2.3 miMatawan1.1 miCliffwood Beach0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bridge Township | 22% | 0.9 | 82 | 90% | A |
| Monroe Township | 10% | 0.6 | 68 | 79% | A− |
| East Brunswick Township | 20% | 1.6 | 56 | 97% | A+ |
| Laurence Harbor | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aberdeen Township | 15% | 0.8 | 32 | 99%+ | A |
| Sayreville | 8% | 1.4 | 18 | 94% | A |
| Cliffwood Beach | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Matawan | 9% | 0.5 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Old Bridge Township
Where can I hike in Old Bridge Township?
The longest trail networks: Cheesequake State Park, 12.4 miles; Mannino Park, 0.6 miles; Cliffwood Beach Waterfront Park, 0.6 miles; Cottrell Farm Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Old Bridge Township is conserved land?
22% 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 Old Bridge Township’s trails?
Cheesequake State Park and Mannino Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Old Bridge Township?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 1.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Old Bridge Township?
50,113 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Old Bridge Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,627 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Old Bridge Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #121 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 Old Bridge 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 →