Schooley's Mountain County Park
Managed by Morris County
718 acres11.1 mi of trail
Patriots' PathGrand Loop TrailHighland Cut TrailFalling Waters Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Washington Township
29% of Washington Township’s land is conserved: 8,330 acres
2,980 acres are parks and preserves, 163 per 1,000 residents. 41 miles of mapped trail cross Washington Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Schooley's Mountain County Park (11.1 mi), Hacklebarney State Park (3.3 mi), Harrington Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #122 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
8,330 acres · of 44.6 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,980 ac
163 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.6 mi
7.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,194 ft
Schooleys Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Washington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild29% of the land is conserved; a typical New Jersey town, 11%.Room to roam163 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 78% of U.S. towns.History along the way13 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Washington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land163 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,980 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13AParks close to home80% 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 94%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 74%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Washington Township’s 29% is ahead of 84% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Schooley's Mountain County Park, with 11.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hacklebarney State Park
Nature preserve
238 acres3.3 mi of trail
Riverside TrailMain TrailWindy Ridge TrailHaki Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harrington Park
Park
38 acres0.8 mi of trail
Patriots' Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tanners Brook Preserve
Nature preserve
30 acres0.5 mi of trail
Patriots' Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Schooley's Mountain County Park718 acres · 11.1 mi of trail · Morris County
DirectionsHacklebarney State Park238 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHarrington Park38 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsTanners Brook Preserve30 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
North Section of Point Mountain Reservation7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Hunterdon County
Crystal Springs Preserve58 acres
DirectionsRock Spring Park36 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
8,330 conserved acres
29% of Washington Township’s land. Who manages Washington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County6,134 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government4,653 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,010 ac
State fish & wildlife648 ac
Town or city397 ac
State natural resources169 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)157 ac
Agricultural Easement · 10,183 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,019 acState Conservation Area · 648 acLocal Recreation Area · 565 acPrivate Conservation · 478 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,406 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 71 of 320 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schooley's Mountain County Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 1,337 | Open |
| South Branch Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 498 | Open |
| Hacklebarney State Park State Park | Not recorded | 405 | Open |
| Drakestown Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 227 | Open |
| Columbia Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 199 | Open |
| Patriots' Path Local Other or Unknown | County | 181 | Open |
| Musconetcong River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 150 | Open |
| Hacklebarney Greenway Private Conservation | Not recorded | 118 | Unknown |
| Schooleys Mountain Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 107 | Open |
| Rock Spring Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 91 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Washington Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Washington Township
Kid Activites
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Washington Township
Long Valley Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Washington Township
Kayak Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Washington Township
Lower Falls
DirectionsUpper Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Washington Township
Schooleys Mountain1,194 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Washington Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Washington Township
Liebenzell Communtiny GardenFee · Liebenzell USA
DirectionsThe Washington Township Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.5 miHorses · 2.9 miUnpaved · 22.9 mi
Patriots' Path5.2 mi
Red Trail2.0 mi
Patriots' Path (Blue)1.9 mi
Blue Trail1.8 mi
Grand Loop Trail1.2 mi
Patriots' Path / Highland Trail1.0 mi
Columbia Trail / Patriots' Path0.8 mi
Riverside Trail0.7 mi
red0.6 mi
Main Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Highland Cut Trail
0.5 miWindy Ridge Trail
0.5 miFalling Waters Trail
0.5 miUpland Meadow Trail (orange)
0.4 miLime Kiln Trail
0.4 miBee-Line Trail
0.3 miblue
0.3 miblue dot on white square
0.3 miHaki Trail
0.3 migreen
0.3 mi(green)
0.3 miQuarry Stone Trail
0.3 miyellow
0.3 miColumbia Trail / Patriots' Path (Blue)
0.2 miThree Pools Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
7.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route)Bike route
7.9 miColumbia TrailBike route
1 miCourts & fields
21Baseball
16Tennis
13Soccer
10Basketball
3Equestrian
2Football
2Multi-sport
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Flocktown SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itGerman Valley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itMiddle Valley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itJacob Wise (J. W.) Neighbor HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itSchooley's Mountain Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itAnthony-Corwin FarmBuilding · listed 1992
About itCraft-Clausen HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itFlock-Stephens FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1992
About itLeonard Neighbor FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1992
About itRarick-Kellihan HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itSharpenstine FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1992
About itTrimmer-Dufford FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1992
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Washington 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 48 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Washington Township →
Next door
Washington Township and its neighbors
Washington Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mount Olive Township82 miWashington Township41 miChester Township41 miLebanon Township37 miTewksbury Township23 miMansfield Township13 miHackettstown7.4 miBeattystown1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | 29% | 0.9 | 163 | 80% | A |
| Chester Township | 44% | 1.4 | 864 | 85% | A+ |
| Mansfield Township | 32% | 0.5 | 603 | 63% | A |
| Beattystown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mount Olive Township | 31% | 2.8 | 229 | 99% | A+ |
| Hackettstown | 21% | 2.0 | 35 | 93% | A+ |
| Tewksbury Township | 21% | 0.7 | 300 | 77% | A |
| Lebanon Township | 31% | 1.2 | 735 | 84% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Washington Township
Where can I hike in Washington Township?
The longest trail networks: Schooley's Mountain County Park, 11.1 miles; Hacklebarney State Park, 3.3 miles; Harrington Park, 0.8 miles; Tanners Brook Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington Township is conserved land?
29% 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 Washington Township’s trails?
Schooley's Mountain County Park and Hacklebarney State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Washington Township?
7.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (New Jersey thru route) and Columbia Trail.
Is there public land near Washington Township?
82,127 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,981 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Washington 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 →