USFWS · New Jersey

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness

Roughly 25,000 years ago, where the Wisconsin Glacier reached its furthest point south and stopped, the creation of Great Swamp began. With cattail marshes, wet meadows, swamp woodlands, and ridges thick...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew Jersey
Size3,660 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1968, by Congress
Center point40.7188, -74.4579
Night skyNoticeable light pollution (Black Marble reading 130)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.53 inches of precipitation, 5.8 inches of snowFebruary: 2.96 inches of precipitation, 8.4 inches of snowMarch: 4.19 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowApril: 4.03 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMay: 4.05 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.68 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.94 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.64 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.58 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.60 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowDecember: 4.43 inches of precipitation, 4.1 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 30.7°F averageFebruary: 32.4°F averageMarch: 40.2°F averageApril: 51.5°F averageMay: 61.4°F averageJune: 70.7°F averageJuly: 76.0°F averageAugust: 74.2°F averageSeptember: 67.1°F averageOctober: 54.9°F averageNovember: 44.5°F averageDecember: 35.9°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Canoe Brook, 6 miles from the center point at 180 feet, station USC00281335 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 50 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 24 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

3,660 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness in?

New Jersey.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1968.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 40.719, -74.458. Morristown National Historical Park is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 130 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, noticeable light pollution.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

Morristown National Historical Park (3 mi), Thomas Edison National Historical Park (10 mi) and Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (18 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness?

354 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Speedwell Village--The Factory and Smith, Nathaniel, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.