Bulk Farm Nature Center
Managed by Plainsboro Township Parks and Recreation
72 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Plainsboro Township
28% of Plainsboro Township’s land is conserved: 2,131 acres
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1,734 acres are parks and preserves, 72 per 1,000 residents. 8.6 miles of mapped trail cross Plainsboro Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #78 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
2,131 acres · of 11.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.6 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,734 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
3.4 mi lanes · 20 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Plainsboro Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Plainsboro Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Plainsboro Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #78 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Plainsboro Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,734 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks 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 96%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 84%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Plainsboro Township’s 28% is ahead of 82% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 53% 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 Bulk Farm Nature Center, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Schalks Meadow Park
Park
18 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
57 acres
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,131 conserved acres
28% of Plainsboro Township’s land. Who manages Plainsboro Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,278 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits890 ac
Town or city441 ac
Joint83 ac
State natural resources24 ac
Private owners14 ac
Not recorded264 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,232 acPrivate Conservation · 890 acLocal Conservation Area · 306 acLocal Recreation Area · 241 acLocal Park · 155 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 660 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainsboro Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,203 | Open |
| Meadows at Middlesex Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 128 | Open |
| Community Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Lenape Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Plainsboro Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Water Body Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park State Park | State natural resources | 24 | Open |
| Plainsboro Pond Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Schalks Meadow Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Plainsboro Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Plainsboro Township
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Plainsboro Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Plainsboro Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Plainsboro Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Plainsboro Township
Plainsboro community gardens
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
49Tennis
22Baseball
11Basketball
4Soccer
3Beach volleyball
1Football
1Volleyball
1Cricket
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Plainsboro 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 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Plainsboro Township →
Next door
Plainsboro Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Windsor Township40 miSouth Brunswick Township27 miEast Windsor Township20 miPlainsboro Township8.6 miPrinceton Meadows3.0 miCranbury Township2.4 miPrinceton Junction1.9 miMonmouth Junction0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainsboro Township | 28% | 0.7 | 72 | 99% | A+ |
| West Windsor Township | 28% | 1.6 | 158 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Princeton Junction | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Princeton Meadows | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Windsor Township | 23% | 1.3 | 45 | 98% | A+ |
| South Brunswick Township | 19% | 0.7 | 96 | 96% | A |
| Cranbury Township | 33% | 0.2 | 78 | 96% | A |
| Monmouth Junction | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Plainsboro Township
Where can I hike in Plainsboro Township?
The longest trail networks: Bulk Farm Nature Center, 0.3 miles; Schalks Meadow Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Plainsboro Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Plainsboro Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Plainsboro Township?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.4 of painted or protected lanes and 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Plainsboro Township?
56,318 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Plainsboro Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,734 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Plainsboro Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Plainsboro 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 →