Mark Lane Field Complex
Managed by Township of River Vale
10 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jallgor · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in River Vale Township
River Vale Township has 7.8 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Mark Lane Field Complex (0.6 mi). 8% of River Vale Township’s land is conserved, about 204 acres. 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #210 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
204 acres · of 4.1 sq mi of land
Trails
7.8 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
242 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is River Vale Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does River Vale Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, River Vale Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #210 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of River Vale Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (242 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home86% 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 88%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 55%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so River Vale Township’s 8% is ahead of 38% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
Water is 6% of River Vale Township’s area (0 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Mark Lane Field Complex, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
204 conserved acres
8% of River Vale Township’s land. Water is left out: River Vale Township has 4.1 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages River Vale Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city172 ac
County32 ac
Not recorded47 ac
Local Recreation Area · 111 acLocal Park · 79 acLocal Other or Unknown · 25 acLocal Conservation Area · 23 acLocal Resource Management Area · 11 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Vale Country Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 147 | Open |
| River Vale Township 1 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Pascack Brook County Park Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
| Poplar Road Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Beach Crest Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Cherry Brook Woods Local Resource Management Area | County | 11 | Open |
| Grove Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| River Vale Township Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Ranges Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Prospect Avenue Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 3 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in River Vale Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in River Vale Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
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
2Baseball
2Pickleball
2Basketball
2Softball
1Tennis
1Football
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in River Vale Township: 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 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in River Vale Township →
Next door
River Vale Township and its neighbors
River Vale Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
River Vale Township7.8 miEmerson4.2 miOld Tappan3.5 miWestwood2.5 miHarrington Park1.9 miHillsdale1.8 miPark Ridge1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Vale Township | 8% | 1.9 | 24 | 86% | A |
| Old Tappan | 4% | 1.1 | 18 | 81% | A− |
| Westwood | 10% | 1.1 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Hillsdale | 7% | 0.6 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| Harrington Park | 14% | 1.0 | 33 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Park Ridge | 9% | 0.5 | 16 | 99%+ | A− |
| Emerson | 2% | 1.9 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in River Vale Township
Where can I hike in River Vale Township?
The longest trail networks: Mark Lane Field Complex, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of River Vale Township 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 River Vale Township’s trails?
Mark Lane Field Complex doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near River Vale Township?
31,466 acres of parks and open public land lie inside River Vale Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 242 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does River Vale Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #210 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 River Vale 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 →