Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Managed by State of New Jersey
5,415 acres51.5 mi of trail
Four Birds TrailSplitrock Trail (Dk Blue)Beach Glen Trail (Blue)Hibernia Brook Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township has 108 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
9,663 acres are parks and preserves, 369 per 1,000 residents. 25% of Rockaway Township’s land is conserved, about 6,764 acres. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #19 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
6,764 acres · of 41.7 sq mi of land
Trails
108 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
9,663 ac
369 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,289 ft
Green Pond Mountain
Lakes & rivers
21
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Rockaway Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockaway Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockaway Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockaway Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (108 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land369 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9,663 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 96%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Rockaway Township’s 25% is ahead of 78% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
Water is 9% of Rockaway Township’s area (4 of 46 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 23%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Wildcat Ridge WMA, with 51.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Farny State Park
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
1,033 acres6.7 mi of trail
Four Birds TrailTimberbrook TrailWinnebago TrailWinnebago Road/Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Camp Winnebago
Mount Hope Historical County Park
Managed by Morris County
392 acres3.6 mi of trail
Red TrailOrange TrailBlue TrailWhite Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Mount Hope County Park Car Parking
Rockaway Township Open Space
Nature preserve
269 acres2.8 mi of trail
OrangeEgbert's Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Buck Mountain
Managed by State of New Jersey
66 acres1 mi of trail
Splitrock Trail (Dk Blue)Charlottesburg Road - Unpaved - GatedSplitrock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area5,415 acres · 51.5 mi of trail · State of New Jersey
DirectionsFarny State Park1,033 acres · 6.7 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
DirectionsMount Hope Historical County Park392 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsRockaway Township Open Space269 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBuck Mountain66 acres · 1 mi of trail · State of New Jersey
Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area43 acres
Jonathan's Woods5 acres · Morris County
DirectionsWho protects it
6,764 conserved acres
25% of Rockaway Township’s land. Water is left out: Rockaway Township has 41.7 square miles of land and 4.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Rockaway Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,868 ac
State fish & wildlife1,453 ac
Town or city1,288 ac
State natural resources1,057 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits820 ac
County339 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government165 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,868 acState Conservation Area · 1,471 acState Park · 1,287 acLocal Other or Unknown · 938 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 669 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,024 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,427 | Open |
| Farny State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,265 | Open |
| Camp Winnebago Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 605 | Open |
| Rockaway Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 307 | Open |
| Lake Ames Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 287 | Open |
| Beaver Brook Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 196 | Open |
| Craigmeur Recreation Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 136 | Open |
| Egberts Lake Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Mount Hope Pond Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 90 | Open |
| Camp Hudsonia Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 81 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
42 places to go in Rockaway Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rockaway Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Rockaway Township
White Meadow Lake Circus Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Rockaway Township
12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Rockaway Township
Hawkwatch OverlookIn Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsRiley's RiseIn Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsPlus 11 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rockaway Township
Green Pond Mountain1,289 ft elevation
DirectionsCopperas Mountain1,224 ft elevation
DirectionsCobb Hill1,175 ft elevation · In Farny State Park
DirectionsPlus 8 peaks without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Rockaway Township
Camp LewisIn Farny State Park · Boy Scouts of America
DirectionsCamp WinnebagoBoy Scouts of America
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 21 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 38.2 miHorses · 3.2 miUnpaved · 48.7 mi
Four Birds Trail16.1 mi
Splitrock Trail (Dk Blue)4.4 mi
Beach Glen Trail (Blue)2.9 mi
Former Wharton & Northern NYS&W2.5 mi
Hibernia Brook Trail2.3 mi
Orange Trail2.2 mi
Oreland Trail - Orange Anvil2.0 mi
KDM Woods1.9 mi
Charlottesburg Road - Unpaved - Gated1.9 mi
Oreland Rail Trail1.7 mi
15 more trails
Iron Spirit Trail
1.6 miOld Koehler Trail
1.6 miRighter Mine Trail (Green)
1.5 miRed Trail
1.5 miOrange
1.3 miBlue Flipper Trail
1.1 miWildcat Ridge Trail (Yellow)
1.0 miWoods Road - Not Maintained
1.0 miThe Way North
1.0 miMjölnir Trail
0.9 miWildcat Ridge Trail
0.9 miEgbert's Trail
0.8 miSplitrock Trail
0.7 miTimberbrook Trail
0.7 miOre Deal
0.7 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Beaver PondpondClark PondpondDurham PondpondEgbert lakelakeG-2 PondpondGreen PondlakeLake AmeslakeLake DenmarklakeLake EmmalakeLake TelemarklakeLittle Mitten LakelakeMisty PondpondMount Hope LakereservoirMount Hope PondpondPicatinny LakereservoirSokol PondpondSouth BasinreservoirSplitrock ReservoirreservoirStillwell PondpondTimberbrook PondlakeWhite Meadow Lakereservoir
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
23Tennis
11Baseball
9Basketball
4Soccer
4Pickleball
3Football
1Softball
1Lacrosse
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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rockaway Township: 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) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rockaway Township →
Next door
Rockaway Township and its neighbors
Rockaway Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Milford Township238 miRockaway Township108 miRandolph Township25 miDenville Township23 miNewfoundland16 miWharton4.6 miDover1.7 miWhite Meadow Lake0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockaway Township | 25% | 2.6 | 369 | 93% | A+ |
| Denville Township | 21% | 1.9 | 86 | 97% | A+ |
| White Meadow Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Newfoundland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| West Milford Township | 59% | 3.1 | 592 | 80% | A+ |
| Wharton | 18% | 2.2 | 31 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Dover | 13% | 0.6 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| Randolph Township | 21% | 1.2 | 96 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockaway Township
Where can I hike in Rockaway Township?
The longest trail networks: Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, 51.5 miles; Farny State Park, 6.7 miles; Mount Hope Historical County Park, 3.6 miles; Rockaway Township Open Space, 2.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockaway Township is conserved land?
25% 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 Rockaway Township’s trails?
Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area and Farny State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rockaway Township?
110,219 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockaway Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,665 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockaway Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Rockaway 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 →