South Mountain Reservation
Nature preserve
634 acres18.8 mi of trail
Lower MayappleLenape Trail (Yellow)Turtle Back (Orange)Mayapple Trail (Blue Dot)+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Binksternet · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Orange Township
West Orange Township has 45 miles of mapped trails, 3.7 for every square mile of land
19% of West Orange Township’s land is conserved, about 1,423 acres. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: South Mountain Reservation (18.8 mi), Eagle Rock Reservation (12.3 mi), O'Connor Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #79 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,423 acres · of 12.0 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
3.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,474 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
587 ft
Stony Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is West Orange Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Orange Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Orange Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #79 of 468 in New Jersey. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Orange Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NJ town 11% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · NJ 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,474 acres) · NJ 25 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · NJ 98% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 83%
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so West Orange Township’s 19% is ahead of 67% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% 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 South Mountain Reservation, with 18.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eagle Rock Reservation
Nature preserve
304 acres12.3 mi of trail
Blue TrailGreen TrailWhite TrailRed Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
O'Connor Park
Park
17 acres0.7 mi of trail
O'Connor Park trackLenape Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Park
20 acres0.3 mi of trail
Glenmont Grounds Footpath
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Visitor Parking
All 7 parks & preserves
South Mountain Reservation634 acres · 18.8 mi of trail
DirectionsEagle Rock Reservation304 acres · 12.3 mi of trail
DirectionsO'Connor Park17 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Thomas Edison National Historical Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDegnan Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Ramble50 acres
William "Lefty" Boland Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,423 conserved acres
19% of West Orange Township’s land. Who manages West Orange Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,292 ac
Town or city108 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government105 ac
National Park Service21 ac
Not recorded116 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,059 acLocal Recreation Area · 338 acLocal Other or Unknown · 108 acRecreation or Education Easement · 105 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Mountain Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 744 | Open |
| Francis A Byrne Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 338 | Open |
| Eagle Rock Reservation Local Conservation Area | County | 326 | Open |
| Thomas Edison National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 21 | Restricted |
| OConnor Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Degnan Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Peckman R Corridor Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Stagg Field Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Boland Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in West Orange Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in West Orange Township
FlamingoIn South Mountain Reservation
DirectionsPublic pools in West Orange Township
Ginny Duenkel Deep End Pool
DirectionsGinny Duenkel Pool
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in West Orange Township
Degnan Park PlaygroundIn Degnan Park
DirectionsLlewellyn Park Social Circle PlaygroundIn The Ramble
DirectionsPrehistoric PlaygroundIn South Mountain Reservation
DirectionsRegatta PlaygroundIn South Mountain Reservation
DirectionsStagg Field
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in West Orange Township
Eagle Rock
DirectionsPeaks in West Orange Township
Stony Hill587 ft elevation · In Eagle Rock Reservation
DirectionsMayapple Hill574 ft elevation · In South Mountain Reservation
DirectionsPicnic areas in West Orange Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miHorses · 4.4 miUnpaved · 26.6 mi
Wotopia3.4 mi
Lenape Trail2.7 mi
Lower Mayapple1.8 mi
Blue Trail1.5 mi
Lenape Trail (Yellow)1.5 mi
Mayapple Trail (Blue Dot)1.4 mi
Lenape (Yellow)1.4 mi
Turtle Back (Orange)1.4 mi
Red Trail1.2 mi
Green Trail1.1 mi
15 more trails
White Trail
1.1 miZoo Loop (Green Dot)
0.9 miOverhill Trail
0.9 miOakdale Trail (Red)
0.8 miHillspur Trail
0.7 miWest Ridge Trail
0.7 miInterpretive Trail (White-Orange)
0.7 miReservoir Loop / Zoo Loop (Green Dot)
0.6 miLenape Bow
0.5 miO'Connor Park track
0.4 miStony Brook Trail
0.4 miReservoir/Zoo Loop (Green Dot)
0.4 miZoo Loop
0.4 miAfterglow Trail
0.4 miFenceline
0.4 miLakes & 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
64Tennis
23Baseball
21Pickleball
8Soccer
7Basketball
4Football
2Lacrosse
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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.
Edison National Historic SiteDistrict · listed 1966
About itSt. Mark's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1977
About itLlewellyn Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itEdison Storage Battery Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1996
About itThomas Edison National Historical ParkDistrict · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in West Orange 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) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in West Orange Township →
Next door
West Orange Township and its neighbors
West Orange Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Orange Township45 miMillburn Township34 miVerona Township11 miMontclair Township8.2 miLivingston Township4.9 miEssex Fells2.0 miCity of Orange Township1.4 miSouth Orange Village Township1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Orange Township | 19% | 3.7 | 30 | 94% | A+ |
| City of Orange Township | 4% | 0.6 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Montclair Township | 7% | 1.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Livingston Township | 23% | 0.4 | 63 | 99%+ | A |
| South Orange Village Township | 5% | 0.4 | 6 | 98% | B |
| Essex Fells | 14% | 1.4 | 58 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Verona Township | 15% | 3.9 | 18 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Millburn Township | 29% | 3.6 | 78 | 91% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Orange Township
Where can I hike in West Orange Township?
The longest trail networks: South Mountain Reservation, 18.8 miles; Eagle Rock Reservation, 12.3 miles; O'Connor Park, 0.7 miles; Thomas Edison National Historical Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Orange 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 Orange Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at South Mountain Reservation (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Orange Township?
36,135 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Orange Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,474 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Orange Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #79 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 Orange 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 →