Grove Park
Nature preserve
33 acres1 mi of trail
White TrailWhite LoopRed Trail (closed for rehab)Red Spur
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: J · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ridgewood
8% of Ridgewood’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. 7.5 miles of mapped trail cross Ridgewood, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Grove Park (1 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #216 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
285 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
7.5 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
287 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 0.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Ridgewood?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ridgewood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ridgewood is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #216 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ridgewood’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (287 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 54%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Ridgewood’s 8% is ahead of 37% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% 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 Grove Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Saddle River County Park - Wild Duck Pond
Park
24 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Saddle River County Park
Nature preserve
68 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Veterans Memorial Field
Park
13 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Grove Park33 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsSaddle River County Park - Wild Duck Pond24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTwinney Pond Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVan Neste Square Memorial Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSaddle River County Park68 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Field13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIrene Habernickel Family Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Graydon Pool5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Road Park3 acres
Leuning Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
285 conserved acres
8% of Ridgewood’s land. Who manages Ridgewood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city208 ac
County89 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government9 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Not recorded89 ac
Local Park · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 89 acLocal Other or Unknown · 67 acLocal Recreation Area · 59 acAgricultural Easement · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddle River County Park Local Park | County | 177 | Open |
| Ridgewood Village Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Kings Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Grove Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Dunham Trail Woods Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Graydon Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Veterans Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Pleasant Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Ridgewood Horse Farm Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Citizens Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Ridgewood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Ridgewood
Graydon PoolIn Graydon Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ridgewood
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ridgewood
Wild Duck Pond Dog ParkIn Saddle River County Park - Wild Duck Pond
DirectionsScenic views in Ridgewood
The Heights
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.2 mi
PSE&G Path0.9 mi
NJRT / PSE&G Path0.6 mi
White Trail0.4 mi
Dunham Trail0.4 mi
Duck Pond Path0.3 mi
White Loop0.3 mi
Red Trail (closed for rehab)0.2 mi
Yellow Spur0.1 mi
Red Spur0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Baseball
12Tennis
11Soccer
4Pickleball
3Softball
3Football
3Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Paramus Reformed Church Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itAckerman HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itAckerman HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itAckerman-Van Emburgh, HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itDavid Ackerman HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itRathbone-Zabriskie HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itVan Dien HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itVanderbeck HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itWestervelt-Cameron HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itRidgewood StationBuilding · listed 1984
About itArchibald-Vroom HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itJames Rose HouseBuilding · listed 2019
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ridgewood: 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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ridgewood →
Next door
Ridgewood and its neighbors
Ridgewood has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Paramus18 miRidgewood7.5 miGlen Rock4.3 miWyckoff Township2.7 miHo-Ho-Kus1.5 miWaldwick0.9 miWashington Township0.2 miMidland Park0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewood | 8% | 1.3 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
| Ho-Ho-Kus | 4% | 0.9 | 11 | 96% | B+ |
| Paramus | 10% | 1.7 | 26 | 99% | A |
| Glen Rock | 8% | 1.6 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Washington Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 97% | C |
| Waldwick | 4% | 0.4 | 5 | 98% | B |
| Midland Park | 2% | under 0.1 | 2 | 92% | C− |
| Wyckoff Township | 4% | 0.4 | 9 | 82% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ridgewood
Where can I hike in Ridgewood?
The longest trail networks: Grove Park, 1 miles; Saddle River County Park - Wild Duck Pond, 0.3 miles; Saddle River County Park, 0.1 miles; Veterans Memorial Field, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ridgewood is conserved land?
8% 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 Ridgewood’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Saddle River County Park - Wild Duck Pond. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ridgewood?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 0.5 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ridgewood?
36,375 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ridgewood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 287 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ridgewood have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #216 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 Ridgewood 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 →