Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1,955 acres1.7 mi of trail
Wood Duck Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Wood Duck Trail Parking
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wantage Township
33% of Wantage Township’s land is conserved: 13,992 acres
4,580 acres are parks and preserves, 419 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge (1.7 mi), Stokes State Forest (0.9 mi). 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #251 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
13,992 acres · of 66.8 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,580 ac
419 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.5 mi lanes
Highest peak
1,378 ft
Mount McMitchell
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Wantage Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wantage Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wantage Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #251 of 468 in New Jersey. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wantage Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land419 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,580 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 46%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Wantage Township’s 33% is ahead of 87% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 35% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stokes State Forest
Nature preserve
260 acres0.9 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailBlue Mountain Connector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Congleton Preserve
Managed by New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
173 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Papakating Creek Preserve
Managed by New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
137 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
13,992 conserved acres
33% of Wantage Township’s land. Who manages Wantage Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County9,384 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service4,306 ac
State natural resources3,881 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government3,393 ac
Other state land1,443 ac
National Park Service405 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)244 ac
Agricultural Easement · 9,631 acState Park · 5,005 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 4,305 acUnknown Easement · 4,170 acState Recreation Area · 666 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6,905 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 271 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point State Park State Park | Not recorded | 4,509 | Open |
| Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 4,305 | Restricted |
| Appalachian Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 674 | Open |
| Lusscroft Farm State Park State Park | State natural resources | 497 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 375 | Open |
| Stokes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State parks | 283 | Open |
| Congleton Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 173 | Open |
| Quarryville Brook Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 173 | Open |
| Papakating Creek Preserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 137 | Open |
| Wantage Recreation Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 126 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Wantage Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wantage Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Wantage Township
Canoe AccessIn Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsFishing spots in Wantage Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Wantage Township
Spanish Overlook
DirectionsPlus 10 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wantage Township
Mount McMitchell1,378 ft elevation
DirectionsRutan Hill1,020 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wantage Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wantage Township
Pleasant Acres Farm Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 3.2 miUnpaved · 4.1 mi
Appalachian Trail11.7 mi
Iris Trail2.8 mi
Wood Duck Nature Trail1.8 mi
Explorer Trail1.0 mi
Americorps Mountain Trail0.9 mi
Americorps Valley Trail0.9 mi
Great Trail0.5 mi
Short Cut Trail0.4 mi
Monument / Shawangunk Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Tenderfoot Trail0.3 mi
12 more trails
AT Connector Trail
0.3 miOld Swenson Farm Trail
0.3 miJEMA Trail
0.3 miMashipacong Trail
0.2 miLeprechaun Trail
0.2 miSugarbrush Trail
0.2 miUnity Trail
0.2 miMashipacong/Iris/Appalachian Trail
0.2 miNacho Trail
0.1 miBassett's Bridge Access Trail
0.1 miBlue Mountain Connector Trail
0.1 miConnectors Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Tennis
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 21 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wantage Township: April and May
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 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wantage Township →
Next door
Wantage Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Vernon Township117 miMontague Township42 miWantage Township28 miHardyston Township24 miFrankford Township18 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wantage Township | 33% | 0.4 | 419 | 47% | A− |
| Vernon Township | 61% | 1.7 | 661 | 75% | A+ |
| Hardyston Township | 45% | 0.7 | 629 | 68% | A |
| Montague Township | 70% | 0.9 | 4,222 | 73% | A+ |
| Frankford Township | 28% | 0.5 | 422 | 67% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wantage Township
Where can I hike in Wantage Township?
The longest trail networks: Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 1.7 miles; Stokes State Forest, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wantage Township is conserved land?
33% 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 Wantage Township’s trails?
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge and Stokes State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wantage Township?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wantage Township?
113,681 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wantage Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,238 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wantage Township have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #251 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 Wantage 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 →