Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Nature preserve
126 acres2.1 mi of trail
South Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Pompton Lakes
Pompton Lakes has 6.2 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 229 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents. 6% of Pompton Lakes’ land is conserved, about 110 acres.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #185 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
110 acres · of 2.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
229 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
344 ft
Beacon Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pompton Lakes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pompton Lakes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pompton Lakes is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #185 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pompton Lakes’ overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (229 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% 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 91%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 61%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Pompton Lakes’ 6% is ahead of 29% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 91% of them.
Water is 9% of Pompton Lakes’ area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Ramapo Mountain State Forest, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pompton Aquatic Park
Managed by Passaic County
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Merrill Loop TrailPompton Aquatic Park TrailRivercrest Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hershfield Park
Managed by Borough of Pompton Lakes
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Snodgrass Park
Managed by Borough of Pompton Lakes
5 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Ramapo Mountain State Forest126 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Pompton Aquatic Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Passaic County
DirectionsHershfield Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Borough of Pompton Lakes
DirectionsSnodgrass Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Borough of Pompton Lakes
DirectionsVentimiglia West Field2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMurrin Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Borough of Pompton Lakes
Lakeside Park1 acres · Borough of Pompton Lakes
Who protects it
110 conserved acres
6% of Pompton Lakes’ land. Water is left out: Pompton Lakes has 2.9 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Pompton Lakes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city102 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Not recorded7 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 72 acLocal Park · 15 acLocal Recreation Area · 13 acConservation Easement · 7 acState Other or Unknown · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Field Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Pompton Lakes Borough Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Ventimiglia West Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Mathes Avenue Woodlands Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Garden Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Hershfield Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| unknown State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| Joe Grill Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Snodgrass Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Carlough Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Pompton Lakes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pompton Lakes
The WoodparkIn Hershfield Park
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Pompton Lakes
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Pompton Lakes
Plus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Pompton Lakes
Beacon Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Pompton Lakes
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 3.4 mi
South Ridge Trail1.1 mi
Rivercrest Trail0.9 mi
Morris Canal Greenway0.7 mi
Oakwood Connector Loop Trail0.3 mi
Lincoln Trail0.3 mi
Merrill Loop Trail0.2 mi
Pompton Aquatic Park Trail0.2 mi
Woodpecker Loop Trail0.2 mi
Morris Canal Connector Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
8Baseball
5Tennis
4Soccer
4Basketball
3Football
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pompton Lakes: 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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Pompton Lakes →
Next door
Pompton Lakes and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wayne Township31 miWanaque28 miBloomingdale20 miPequannock Township11 miPompton Plains8.4 miPompton Lakes6.2 miPines Lake2.9 miRiverdale0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pompton Lakes | 6% | 2.1 | 21 | 98% | A |
| Pequannock Township | 18% | 1.6 | 49 | 95% | A+ |
| Pompton Plains | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wayne Township | 16% | 1.3 | 23 | 98% | A |
| Riverdale | 2% | 0.2 | 7 | 99%+ | B |
| Pines Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wanaque | 41% | 3.5 | 34 | 97% | A+ |
| Bloomingdale | 10% | 2.3 | 20 | 90% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pompton Lakes
Where can I hike in Pompton Lakes?
The longest trail networks: Ramapo Mountain State Forest, 2.1 miles; Pompton Aquatic Park, 0.4 miles; Hershfield Park, 0.2 miles; Snodgrass Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pompton Lakes 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 Pompton Lakes’ trails?
Ramapo Mountain State Forest and Pompton Aquatic Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Pompton Lakes?
61,769 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pompton Lakes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 378 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pompton Lakes have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #185 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 Pompton Lakes 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 →