Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.012% of Palisades Park’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. 1.8 miles of mapped trail cross Palisades Park, 1.5 per square mile of land. 12% of Palisades Park’s land is conserved, about 89 acres.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #234 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Palisades Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Palisades Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palisades Park is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #234 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 Palisades Park’s 12% is ahead of 50% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% 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 Columbus Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
89 conserved acres
12% of Palisades Park’s land. Who manages Palisades Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overpeck County Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 145 | Open |
| Palisades Park Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Other state land | 5 | Open |
| Christopher Columbus Little League Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
8 places to go in Palisades Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 1 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.
The best walking months in Palisades Park: 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Palisades Park →
Palisades Park and its neighbors
Palisades Park has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palisades Park | 12% | 1.5 | 5 | 99%+ | A |
| Leonia | 30% | 1.1 | 33 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Fort Lee | 2% | 1.5 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Ridgefield Park | 11% | 0.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Ridgefield | 10% | 0.3 | 15 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palisades Park
Where can I hike in Palisades Park?
The longest trail networks: Columbus Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palisades Park 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 Palisades Park’s trails?
Columbus Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Palisades Park?
26,005 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palisades Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 92 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palisades Park have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #234 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 Palisades Park 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 →