West Essex Park
Nature preserve
489 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Caldwell Township
19% of West Caldwell Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 8.9 miles of mapped trail cross West Caldwell Township, 1.7 per square mile of land. 19% of West Caldwell Township’s land is conserved, about 610 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #25 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
610 acres · of 5.1 sq mi of land
Trails
8.9 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
628 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is West Caldwell Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Caldwell Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Caldwell Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #25 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Caldwell Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land57 acres of park per 1,000 residents (628 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all 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 95%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so West Caldwell Township’s 19% is ahead of 67% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 West Essex Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Essex Industrial Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Richard Park
Park
4 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
West Essex Park489 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
Richard Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Crane Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFrancisco Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWrensch Park14 acres
DirectionsWest Essex Industrial Park10 acres
Town of West Caldwell public land1 acres
Who protects it
610 conserved acres
19% of West Caldwell Township’s land. Who manages West Caldwell Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County509 ac
Town or city94 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Not recorded514 ac
Local Park · 534 acLocal Conservation Area · 523 acLocal Recreation Area · 56 acPrivate Conservation · 9 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Essex Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,019 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Richard Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Bird Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Wrench Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Westville Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Francisco Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Passaic River Coalition Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| Cedar Street Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in West Caldwell Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in West Caldwell Township
Westville Avenue Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in West Caldwell Township
Jefferson Elementary School Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Lenape Trail (Yellow)1.5 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
9Tennis
8Baseball
5Soccer
3Basketball
2Football
1Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Samuel Orton Harrison HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in West Caldwell Township: April to June, August and 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 85 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in West Caldwell Township →
Next door
West Caldwell Township and its neighbors
West Caldwell Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Caldwell Township8.9 miEast Hanover Township6.8 miFairfield Township6.8 miRoseland5.5 miNorth Caldwell3.1 miEssex Fells2.0 miCaldwell1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Caldwell Township | 19% | 1.7 | 57 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Caldwell | 5% | 0.8 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| East Hanover Township | 20% | 0.9 | 92 | 88% | A |
| Essex Fells | 14% | 1.4 | 58 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Roseland | 20% | 1.5 | 75 | 94% | A+ |
| North Caldwell | 6% | 1.0 | 17 | 99% | A |
| Fairfield Township | 35% | 0.7 | 288 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Caldwell Township
Where can I hike in West Caldwell Township?
The longest trail networks: West Essex Park, 2.5 miles; Richard Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Caldwell Township is conserved land?
19% 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 West Caldwell Township’s trails?
West Essex Park and Wrensch Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Caldwell Township?
38,143 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Caldwell Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 628 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Caldwell Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #25 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 West Caldwell 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 →