Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
7,786 acres5.6 mi of trail
Cedar Bonnet Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cavarly Cottage · Photo: James Welsh · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Stafford Township
More than half of Stafford Township’s land is conserved: 62%
62% of Stafford Township’s land is conserved, about 18,206 acres. 10,346 acres are parks and preserves, 347 per 1,000 residents. 64 miles of mapped trail cross Stafford Township, 1.4 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #27 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
62%
18,206 acres · of 46.1 sq mi of land
Trails
64 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
10,346 ac
347 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
4 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Stafford Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Stafford Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stafford Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #27 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Stafford Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land62% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (64 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land347 acres of park per 1,000 residents (10,346 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% 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 94%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Stafford Township’s 62% is ahead of 99% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% of them.
Water is 16% of Stafford Township’s area (9 of 55 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 52%.
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 Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, with 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bass River State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
373 acres4.2 mi of trail
Keith Survey Line of 1686
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Nautilus Park
Park
31 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
East Plains Natural Area
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
233 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lighthouse Park
Park
15 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge7,786 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBass River State Forest373 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · New Jersey Divison of Parks and Forestry
Nautilus Park31 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
East Plains Natural Area233 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
Lighthouse Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Manahawkin Lake Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve3,833 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsManahawkin Wildlife Management Area972 acres · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsWestecunk Pine Plains94 acres
A. Paul King County Park5 acres
DirectionsCarvel Island3 acres
Heritage Park2 acres
DirectionsBeach Avenue Park2 acres
Who protects it
18,206 conserved acres
62% of Stafford Township’s land. Water is left out: Stafford Township has 46.1 square miles of land and 8.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Stafford Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service15,050 ac
State fish & wildlife8,264 ac
County420 ac
Other state land300 ac
Town or city255 ac
State natural resources193 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government53 ac
State Conservation Area · 14,462 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 14,431 acLocal Conservation Area · 794 acUnknown · 543 acLocal Other or Unknown · 278 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 68 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 15,593 | Restricted |
| Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 12,487 | Open |
| Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,057 | Open |
| Manahawkin Marsh Local Other or Unknown | County | 467 | Open |
| unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 398 | Open |
| Warren Grove Bogs Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 269 | Open |
| Bass River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 193 | Open |
| Doc Cramer Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 134 | Open |
| Route 72 West Associates Tract Local Conservation Area | County | 59 | Open |
| A Paul King Park Local Recreation Area | County | 54 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Stafford Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Stafford Township
Beach Haven West Bay Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Stafford Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Stafford Township
Atlantic Hills Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Stafford Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Stafford Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Stafford Township
Doc Cramer DGC
DirectionsDoc Cramer Disc Golf CourseHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Stafford Township
Stafford Community GardenIn Manahawkin Lake Park · Stafford Township
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 4.8 mi
Keith Survey Line of 16861.4 mi
Cedar Bonnet Trail0.9 mi
Tuckerton Railroad0.1 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
19Baseball
16Tennis
7Soccer
7Softball
7Basketball
4Lacrosse
3Football
1Pickleball
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Stafford 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 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 51 | 62 | 71 | 80 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Stafford Township →
Next door
Stafford Township and its neighbors
Stafford Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stafford Township64 miBarnegat Township51 miEagleswood Township26 miLong Beach Township3.0 miShip Bottom1.6 miSurf City0.6 miHarvey Cedars0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford Township | 62% | 1.4 | 347 | 92% | A+ |
| Barnegat Township | 49% | 1.5 | 255 | 99% | A+ |
| Long Beach Township | 38% | 0.6 | 17 | 98% | A |
| Ship Bottom | 3% | 2.2 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Surf City | 1% | 0.8 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Eagleswood Township | 66% | 1.6 | 1,351 | 34% | A |
| Harvey Cedars | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Stafford Township
Where can I hike in Stafford Township?
The longest trail networks: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, 5.6 miles; Bass River State Forest, 4.2 miles; Nautilus Park, 1.2 miles; East Plains Natural Area, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Stafford Township is conserved land?
62% 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 Stafford Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Stafford Township?
134,012 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stafford Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,887 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Stafford Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Stafford 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 →