Wharton State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
17,211 acres59.2 mi of trail
Batona TrailFleming PikeAtsion Lake Blue TrailAtsion Lake Red/Blue Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Shamong Township
Shamong Township has 82 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
17% of Shamong Township’s land is conserved, about 4,932 acres. 386 acres are parks and preserves, 59 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Wharton State Forest (59.2 mi), Batsto Natural Area (21.4 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #106 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
4,932 acres · of 44.5 sq mi of land
Trails
82 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
386 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Shamong Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shamong Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shamong Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #106 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 Shamong Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (82 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (386 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−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 95%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 78%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Shamong Township’s 17% is ahead of 64% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% of them.
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 Wharton State Forest, with 59.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Batsto Natural Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
3,298 acres21.4 mi of trail
Mullica River Trail (yellow)Riders Switch
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,932 conserved acres
17% of Shamong Township’s land. Who manages Shamong Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,379 ac
County2,175 ac
Other state land290 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits259 ac
Town or city161 ac
State parks17 ac
State conservation11 ac
State Resource Management Area · 3,439 acAgricultural Easement · 2,304 acPrivate Conservation · 219 acUnknown Easement · 162 acLocal Recreation Area · 154 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,245 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,439 | Open |
| Pipers Corner Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 169 | Open |
| Dingletown Road Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 150 | Open |
| Camp Ockanickon Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Closed |
| Limited Practical Use Program State Park | State conservation | 11 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
| New Jersey Audubon Society Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| Shapiro Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| Shamong Township Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Headwater Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Shamong Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shamong Township
First BeachIn Batsto Natural Area
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Shamong Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Shamong Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Shamong Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Shamong Township
Atsion Family CampgroundFee · In Wharton State Forest · NJ State Park Service, Wharton State Forest
DirectionsGoshen Pond CampgroundFee · In Wharton State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.4 miHorses · 4.4 miUnpaved · 10.1 mi
Mullica River Trail (yellow)1.8 mi
Batona Trail1.5 mi
Riders Switch1.0 mi
Fleming Pike0.7 mi
Atsion Lake Blue Trail0.6 mi
Atsion Lake Red/Blue Trail0.5 mi
Quaker Bridge Road / Mullica River (Yellow) Trail0.2 mi
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.
Goshen Pond Trail (white)Bike route
2.9 miCourts & fields
2Tennis
2Softball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Atsion VillageDistrict · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Shamong Township: April to June
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 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Shamong Township →
Next door
Shamong Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Waterford Township94 miTabernacle Township92 miShamong Township82 miHammonton41 miMedford Township21 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shamong Township | 17% | 1.9 | 59 | 86% | A+ |
| Waterford Township | 3% | 2.6 | 22 | 77% | A− |
| Tabernacle Township | 27% | 1.9 | 227 | 62% | A |
| Medford Township | 33% | 0.5 | 85 | 95% | A |
| Hammonton | 39% | 1.0 | 25 | 62% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shamong Township
Where can I hike in Shamong Township?
The longest trail networks: Wharton State Forest, 59.2 miles; Batsto Natural Area, 21.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shamong Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Shamong Township’s trails?
Wharton State Forest and Batsto Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Shamong Township?
162,952 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shamong Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 17,509 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shamong Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #106 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 Shamong 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 →