Photo: Lenier81 · CC BY-SA 4.010% of Ridgefield’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. 10% of Ridgefield’s land is conserved, about 166 acres. 167 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #273 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ridgefield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ridgefield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ridgefield is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #273 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Ridgefield’s 10% is ahead of 48% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 25% of them.
Water is 11% of Ridgefield’s area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
166 conserved acres
10% of Ridgefield’s land. Water is left out: Ridgefield has 2.5 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ridgefield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackensack Meadowlands Preserve Area Parcel 1 - Meadowlark Tract Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 92 | Open |
| unknown Local Park | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
| Ridgefield Borough Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Meadowlands Commission Trust Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Ridgefield Borough Athletic Facility Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| The Fireman'S Field Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Meadowlands Field Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Willis Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Marine Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Ridgefield Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
3 places to go in Ridgefield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Ridgefield: 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 | 51 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ridgefield →
Ridgefield and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgefield | 10% | 0.3 | 15 | 99%+ | A− |
| North Bergen Township | 6% | 1.3 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Fairview | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 99%+ | C |
| Ridgefield Park | 11% | 0.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Carlstadt | 13% | under 0.1 | 54 | 99%+ | A− |
| Cliffside Park | 2% | 0.5 | 1 | 99%+ | B− |
| Palisades Park | 12% | 1.5 | 5 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ridgefield
How much of Ridgefield is conserved land?
10% 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 Ridgefield’s trails?
Willis Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ridgefield?
26,602 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ridgefield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 167 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ridgefield have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #273 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 Ridgefield 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 →