Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
53 acres1.8 mi of trail
Main TrailDogwood TrailEagle TrailOuter Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brandon S. Jacobsen · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Raritan Township
Raritan Township has 2,563 acres of parks, 105 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Raritan Township’s land is conserved, about 3,646 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve (1.8 mi), Uplands Reserve (1.4 mi), Lenape Park (1.2 mi). 8.9 miles of mapped trail cross Raritan Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #301 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,646 acres · of 37.5 sq mi of land
Trails
8.9 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,563 ac
105 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
64%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.9 mi
4.8 mi lanes · 0.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Raritan Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Raritan Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Raritan Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #301 of 468 in New Jersey. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Raritan Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land105 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,563 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home64% 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 77%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 36%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Raritan Township’s 15% is ahead of 60% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 22% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Uplands Reserve
Managed by Hunterdon County
100 acres1.4 mi of trail
Uplands TrailMeditation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Dvoor Farm
Managed by Hunterdon Land Trust
40 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mine Brook Park
Managed by Raritan Township
14 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Blackwell Park
Managed by Raritan Township Parks and Recreation Department
26 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve53 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsUplands Reserve100 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Hunterdon County
Lenape Park51 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDvoor Farm40 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Hunterdon Land Trust
DirectionsMine Brook Park14 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Raritan Township
DirectionsBlackwell Park26 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Raritan Township Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsClover Hill Park115 acres · Hunterdon County
DirectionsTuccamirgan Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,646 conserved acres
15% of Raritan Township’s land. Who manages Raritan Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,745 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,136 ac
Town or city688 ac
Other state land630 ac
State fish & wildlife236 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits232 ac
Joint94 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,180 acLocal Conservation Area · 704 acLocal Park · 407 acLocal Recreation Area · 388 acState Conservation Area · 236 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,614 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 42 of 121 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Branch River Reserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 422 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 401 | Open |
| Heron Glen Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 242 | Open |
| South Branch Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 236 | Open |
| Wickecheoke Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 143 | Open |
| Clover Hill Park Local Conservation Area | County | 116 | Open |
| Urbach Farm Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Lenape Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 98 | Open |
| Raritan Township Forest Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 91 | Open |
| Raritan Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 75 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Raritan Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Raritan Township
29 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Raritan Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 5.0 mi
Uplands Trail1.3 mi
South Branch Stanton Station Trail0.8 mi
Main Trail0.5 mi
Eagle Trail0.4 mi
Dogwood Trail0.3 mi
Meditation Trail0.3 mi
Outer Loop0.3 mi
Brook Trail0.1 mi
South Branch Station Station Trail0.1 mi
Path students walk from walmart0.1 mi
2 more trails
Flower Trail
0.1 miEmergency Access
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
1.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
31Tennis
29Baseball
22Soccer
11Basketball
6Pickleball
3Beach volleyball
2Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Raritan 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Raritan Township →
Next door
Raritan Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hillsborough Township45 miReadington Township33 miClinton Township33 miEast Amwell Township22 miDelaware Township10 miRaritan Township8.9 miFranklin Township5.2 miRingoes0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raritan Township | 15% | 0.2 | 105 | 64% | A− |
| Readington Township | 26% | 0.7 | 229 | 93% | A+ |
| Delaware Township | 34% | 0.3 | 445 | 68% | A |
| East Amwell Township | 42% | 0.8 | 554 | 60% | A |
| Clinton Township | 37% | 1.1 | 463 | 78% | A+ |
| Franklin Township | 23% | 0.2 | 160 | 60% | A− |
| Ringoes | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hillsborough Township | 32% | 0.8 | 182 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Raritan Township
Where can I hike in Raritan Township?
The longest trail networks: Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve, 1.8 miles; Uplands Reserve, 1.4 miles; Lenape Park, 1.2 miles; Dvoor Farm, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Raritan Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Raritan Township’s trails?
Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve and Uplands Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Raritan Township?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.8 of painted or protected lanes, 0.2 of off-road paths and 1.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Raritan Township?
59,090 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Raritan Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,563 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Raritan Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #301 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 Raritan 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 →