Wharton State Forest
Managed by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
14,094 acres88.6 mi of trail
Fleming PikeFive Mile Crossing
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Waterford Township
Waterford Township has 94 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Wharton State Forest (88.6 mi). 235 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #280 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
707 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
94 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
235 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Waterford Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waterford Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waterford Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #280 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Waterford Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%B−Trails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (94 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (235 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home77% 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 79%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 40%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Waterford Township’s 3% is ahead of 16% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% 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 Wharton State Forest, with 88.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
707 conserved acres
3% of Waterford Township’s land. Who manages Waterford Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land627 ac
County238 ac
State natural resources210 ac
Town or city50 ac
Not recorded105 ac
Agricultural Easement · 627 acState Resource Management Area · 305 acLocal Conservation Area · 229 acLocal Other or Unknown · 30 acLocal Recreation Area · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 325 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 60 parcels. 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 | 305 | Open |
| Camden County Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 109 | Open |
| Dimeglio Local Conservation Area | County | 53 | Open |
| Medford Road Local Conservation Area | County | 52 | Open |
| Waterford Township Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Waterford Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Atco Lake Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| Randanella Farm Local Other or Unknown | County | 10 | Open |
| Thomas Richards Recreation Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Muncipal Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Waterford Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Waterford Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Waterford Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 17.1 miHorses · 17.1 miUnpaved · 3.6 mi
Fleming Pike5.0 mi
Five Mile Crossing2.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Goshen Pond Trail (white)Bike route
12.4 miBurnt Mill Trail (red0Bike route
11.7 miSleeper Creek Trail (blue)Bike route
5.4 miCourts & fields
5Baseball
2Beach volleyball
2Soccer
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Waterford 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 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Waterford Township →
Next door
Waterford Township and its neighbors
Waterford Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Waterford Township94 miShamong Township82 miEvesham Township26 miWinslow Township26 miMedford Township21 miAtco3.3 miBerlin2.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford Township | 3% | 2.6 | 22 | 77% | A− |
| Shamong Township | 17% | 1.9 | 59 | 86% | A+ |
| Atco | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Medford Township | 33% | 0.5 | 85 | 95% | A |
| Evesham Township | 21% | 0.9 | 60 | 92% | A |
| Winslow Township | 18% | 0.4 | 208 | 89% | A |
| Berlin | 9% | 0.6 | 31 | 91% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waterford Township
Where can I hike in Waterford Township?
The longest trail networks: Wharton State Forest, 88.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waterford Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Waterford Township’s trails?
Wharton State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waterford Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: Goshen Pond Trail (white), Burnt Mill Trail (red0 and Sleeper Creek Trail (blue).
Is there public land near Waterford Township?
129,907 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterford Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 14,267 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Waterford Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #280 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 Waterford 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 →