Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve
Nature preserve
260 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red Turtle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in South Plainfield
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in South Plainfield
The biggest trail networks: Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve (0.8 mi). 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross South Plainfield, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of South Plainfield’s land is conserved, about 220 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #381 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
220 acres · of 8.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
361 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is South Plainfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Plainfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Plainfield is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #381 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Plainfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (361 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 62%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 19%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so South Plainfield’s 4% is ahead of 20% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 16% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 7 parks & preserves
Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve260 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCotton Street Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Putnam Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonument Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park27 acres
DirectionsPark Ave Nature Walk9 acres
DirectionsCedar Brook Park2 acres
Who protects it
220 conserved acres
4% of South Plainfield’s land. Who manages South Plainfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County119 ac
Town or city118 ac
Joint18 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 131 acLocal Conservation Area · 53 acLocal Park · 38 acLocal Recreation Area · 14 acConservation Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dismal Swamp Local Other or Unknown | County | 100 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Environmental Education Reserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Pop Warner Football Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Clinton Avenue Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Pitt Street Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Jayne Investment Local Recreation Area | County | 7 | Open |
| Walnut Street Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Junior Baseball Club Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Oak Tree Avenue Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in South Plainfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in South Plainfield
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in South Plainfield
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Red Turtle Trail0.7 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.
Courts & fields
18Baseball
8Tennis
8Soccer
6Basketball
4Pickleball
3Football
2Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in South Plainfield: April to June and August
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
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 South Plainfield →
Next door
South Plainfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Plainfield | 4% | 0.1 | 15 | 98% | B |
| Piscataway Township | 3% | 0.7 | 20 | 93% | B+ |
| Edison Township | 5% | 0.8 | 18 | 98% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Plainfield
Where can I hike in South Plainfield?
The longest trail networks: Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve, 0.8 miles; Putnam Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Plainfield is conserved land?
4% 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 South Plainfield’s trails?
Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve and Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near South Plainfield?
32,513 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Plainfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 373 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Plainfield have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #381 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 South Plainfield 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 →