Living in Kinnelon, NJ: Smoke Rise, Lakes and Larger Lots

Lake surrounded by fall foliage, typical of the lake and woodland scenery around Kinnelon, NJ

Short answer: Kinnelon is a wooded, low-density Morris County borough of about 10,000 people, built around three sections: Kinnelon proper, the Fayson Lakes club community and the gated Smoke Rise community. Homes here sold for a median of about $1.02 million in the three months ending October 2026, on larger lots than most nearby towns.

Kinnelon (locals say KIN-a-lon) sits in the northeast corner of Morris County, about 33 miles west of New York City, between Butler, Riverdale, Lincoln Park, Montville, Boonton Township, Pequannock and Rockaway Township, with West Milford across the Passaic County line. It covers about 19 square miles, much of it forest, lakes and watershed land, which is why the town feels more rural than its location suggests. If you are weighing homes for sale in Kinnelon, NJ, here is what sets it apart.

Kinnelon’s Three Sections

Kinnelon formed as a borough in 1922 from part of Pequannock Township. Its name comes from Francis S. Kinney, the tobacco industrialist whose estate covered thousands of acres here in the late 1800s. Today the town is usually described in three parts.

Smoke Rise

Smoke Rise grew out of the old Kinney estate after World War II, when the Smoke Rise Club was formed in 1946. It is a private, gated community of roughly 900 homes on about 3,500 acres in the northwest part of the borough, with two gates: the North Gate off Route 23 and the East Gate off Kinnelon Road. Lots are heavily wooded and typically run from one to ten acres. The 19-acre Lake Kinnelon sits at its center, with the 1886 St. Hubert’s Chapel on an island in the lake, and Kitty Ann Mountain, the highest point in town at about 1,140 feet, rises nearby. Smoke Rise is administered by the Smoke Rise Club, whose elected Board of Governors approves building plans, so expect club dues and architectural review to be part of owning there. Confirm current terms with the club.

Fayson Lakes

Fayson Lakes, in the southeastern corner of town, began in 1925 as a summer lake colony built by developer Frank Fay Jr. and his son. It is Kinnelon’s most densely built section, with three lakes (West, East and South), and homes that range from winterized cabins to large custom houses. The Fayson Lakes Association runs the beaches, lifeguarded swimming areas, courts, trails and clubhouse. Its 2026 dues statement lists regular dues of $842 a year, a $516 senior rate and a $245 annual dam assessment charged to all Fayson property owners.

Kinnelon Proper

Outside the two club communities, the rest of town mixes home styles and lot sizes, with smaller neighborhoods and place names such as Stickle Pond, Surprise Lake, Brook Valley and Bald Hill. Homes outside the two clubs generally come without club membership or lake association dues.

What Homes Cost in Kinnelon

Kinnelon sees relatively few sales each month (18 in October 2026), so short-term numbers jump around. Look at several sources together:

Measure Kinnelon Source
Median sale price, 3 months ending Oct 2026 $1,024,287 (up 12.9% year over year) Redfin
Average days on market 50 days (69 a year earlier) Redfin
Homes sold in October 2026 18 (29 in October 2025) Redfin
Average residential sale price, 2025 state report $916,352 (106 sales) NJ Division of Taxation
Morris County single-family median, Sept 2026 $737,500 NJ REALTORS

In plain terms, a typical Kinnelon sale now runs well above the county median. That gap reflects lot size and house size more than anything else. Expect a wide spread: lakefront and large Smoke Rise homes sit at the top, while some Fayson Lakes cottages and older homes in Kinnelon proper come in far lower. For the county picture, see our Morris County market update for November 2026.

Property Taxes

Kinnelon’s 2026 general tax rate is 2.954 per $100 of assessed value, according to the Morris County Board of Taxation, down slightly from 2.985 in 2025. The state’s 2025 effective rate, which adjusts for how close assessments are to market value, was 2.418. In the state’s 2025 report, the average Kinnelon home was assessed at $581,472 with an average tax bill of $17,357, compared with a Morris County average bill of $12,175. To compare towns side by side, see our Morris County property tax rates by town.

Schools

The Kinnelon Public Schools serve the whole borough in four buildings: Kiel School (pre-K to 2), Stonybrook School (3 to 5), Pearl R. Miller Middle School (6 to 8) and Kinnelon High School (9 to 12). The state’s 2023–24 School Performance Report lists Kinnelon High School with 525 students, a 9-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and a 99.3% four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023. For more data and comparisons, use the NJ School Performance Reports and our guide to Morris County school districts.

Parks, Lakes and Trails

Open space is the main draw. Silas Condict County Park, at 100 Kinnelon Road, covers 1,513 acres with about 10 miles of trails, a seven-acre lake for fishing, picnic areas and the Casino, a former Prohibition-era house now used for events. Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, home of the balanced boulder known as Tripod Rock, sits just to the south, mostly in Montville with portions in Kinnelon. The borough’s Stony Brook Park adds playgrounds and recreation space around a lake, and large tracts of the Pequannock River watershed, owned by the City of Newark, keep much of the land around town undeveloped.

Getting Around

Route 23 runs along Kinnelon’s northern edge, and I-287 crosses the southeast part of town, with the nearest interchange on Route 23 in neighboring Riverdale. NJ Transit’s 194 bus serves Kinnelon on its route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Kinnelon has no train station; the closest rail options are on the Montclair-Boonton Line in neighboring towns. Day-to-day shopping centers on Route 23, including the Meadtown Shopping Center. Compare commutes in our Morris County towns for NYC commuters guide.

What to Check Before You Buy in Kinnelon

  • Club rules and dues. In Smoke Rise and Fayson Lakes, get the current dues, assessments, building rules and any rental rules in writing during attorney review.
  • Well and septic. Some Kinnelon homes rely on a private well or septic system. Ask early, and budget for a septic inspection and a water test where they apply.
  • Driveways and winters. Hilly, wooded lots can mean long, steep driveways and more tree work.
  • Closing paperwork. Sellers will need a New Jersey smoke cert before closing, like everywhere in the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kinnelon, NJ a gated community?

Only part of it. Smoke Rise, in the northwest section of the borough, is a private gated community of about 900 homes. Fayson Lakes is a private lake association but not gated, and the rest of Kinnelon is ordinary borough neighborhoods.

How much is a house in Kinnelon, NJ?

Redfin reports a median sale price of about $1.02 million for the three months ending October 2026. Prices vary widely, from smaller Fayson Lakes homes to large lakefront properties in Smoke Rise.

What county is Kinnelon, NJ in?

Kinnelon is in Morris County, in the 07405 ZIP code, which it shares with neighboring Butler.

Does Kinnelon have a train station?

No. Commuters typically use NJ Transit’s 194 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or drive to a Montclair-Boonton Line station in a nearby town.

Sources

Talk to the MorrisAgent Team

Thinking about buying or selling in Kinnelon? Our Boonton office is just a few miles away, and our database of more than 50,000 buyer contacts helps Kinnelon listings get seen. Call (973) 200-4800, email [email protected], or stop by our office at 518 Main Street, Suite 102, Boonton. No pressure, and no surprises.