Truxton Park
Park
69 acres1.8 mi of trail
Truxton Park LoopTruxton Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Flickr user: high limitzz https://www.flickr.com/people/highlimitstudio/ · CC BY 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Annapolis
Annapolis has 192 acres of parks, 4.7 for every 1,000 residents
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Truxton Park (1.8 mi), Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek (0.5 mi). 4.3 miles of mapped trail cross Annapolis, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #160 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
202 acres · of 7.2 sq mi of land
Trails
4.3 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
192 ac
4.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
3.7 mi lanes · 3.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Annapolis?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Annapolis have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Annapolis is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #160 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Annapolis’ overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land4.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (192 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13CParks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 63%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 39%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Annapolis’ 4% is ahead of 22% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
Water is 11% of Annapolis’ area (1 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Truxton Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek
Park
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
St. Luke's Nature Park
Managed by St. Luke's Church
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chambers Park
Park
1 acres0.1 mi of trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Truxton Park69 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsEllen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsChambers Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
St. Luke's Nature Park3 acres · St. Luke's Church
Quiet Waters Park1 acres
Paca Gardens1 acres · Other Unit
DirectionsNewman Street Park1 acres · City of Annapolis Recreation & Parks
DirectionsWho protects it
202 conserved acres
4% of Annapolis’ land. Water is left out: Annapolis has 7.2 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Annapolis’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city95 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government86 ac
County21 ac
Other state land9 ac
Local Park · 159 acForest Stewardship Easement · 24 acConservation Easement · 19 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 39 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 27 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truxton Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 86 | Open |
| Bates Athletic Complex Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Annapolis Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Ellen O Moyer Nature Park At Back Creek Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Bates Heritage Fields Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Spa Creek Conservancy Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Poplar Trail Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Annapolis Walk Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bywater Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Susan Cambell Park (City Dock) Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Annapolis
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Annapolis
Carr's Beach
DirectionsPublic pools in Annapolis
Park Place Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Annapolis
Bates Middle School Playground
DirectionsGermantown Playground
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Annapolis
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Annapolis
Truxton Park Boat RampsIn Truxton Park
DirectionsTucker Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Annapolis
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.2 mi
Truxton Park Loop1.1 mi
Hawkins Cove Trail0.2 mi
Truxton Park Trail0.1 mi
Tolson Street Park0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
2.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
34Tennis
18Pickleball
12Basketball
5Baseball
5Soccer
2Football
1Lacrosse
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →23 places on the National Register, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 17 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pinkney-Callahan HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itArtisan's HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itMt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1973
About itOld City Hall and Engine HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itPatrick Creagh HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About it11 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Annapolis: 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 47 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Annapolis →
Next door
Annapolis and its neighbors
Annapolis has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annapolis | 4% | 0.6 | 5 | 94% | B |
| Annapolis Neck | 7% | 0.5 | 35 | 62% | B+ |
| Parole | 2% | 1.0 | 6 | 46% | B− |
| Naval Academy | under 1% | 0.4 | 4 | 99%+ | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Annapolis
Where can I hike in Annapolis?
The longest trail networks: Truxton Park, 1.8 miles; Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek, 0.5 miles; Chambers Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Annapolis is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 9% for a Maryland town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Annapolis’ trails?
Truxton Park and Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Annapolis?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of painted or protected lanes, 3.6 of off-road paths and 2.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Annapolis?
8,558 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Annapolis or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 192 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Annapolis have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #160 of 261 in Maryland. 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 Annapolis 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 →