Rock Creek Regional Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
383 acres3.1 mi of trail
Lakeside TrailSunfish Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Aspen Hill
Aspen Hill has 13 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
13% of Aspen Hill’s land is conserved, about 816 acres. The biggest trail networks: Rock Creek Regional Park (3.1 mi), Wood Local Park (0.5 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #62 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
816 acres · of 9.5 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
581 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 9.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Aspen Hill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Aspen Hill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Aspen Hill is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #62 of 261 in Maryland. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Aspen Hill’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (581 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 77%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Aspen Hill’s 13% is ahead of 71% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% 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 Rock Creek Regional Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Flower Valley Neighborhood Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
North Gate Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Matthew Henson State Park
Managed by Maryland Departement of Recreation, Maryland Park Service
59 acres0.3 mi of trail
Matthew Henson Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 18 parks & preserves
Rock Creek Regional Park383 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWood Local Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Flower Valley Neighborhood Park17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
North Gate Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsMatthew Henson State Park59 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Maryland Departement of Recreation, Maryland Park Service
DirectionsRock Creek Stream Valley Park222 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsAspen Hill Local Park41 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsDrake Drive Neighborhood Conservation Area17 acres · Montgomery Parks
Norwood Village Neighborhood Conservation Area14 acres
Strathmore Local Park13 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWheaton Woods Local Park11 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsBauer Drive Local Park9 acres
DirectionsParklands Local Park8 acres
English Manor Neighborhood Parkl8 acres
Beret Neighborhood Conservation Area4 acres
DirectionsHarmony Hills Neighborhood Park3 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsArctic Neighborhood Conservation Area3 acres
Manor Park Neighborhood Conservation Area2 acres
Who protects it
816 conserved acres
13% of Aspen Hill’s land. Who manages Aspen Hill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government98 ac
County76 ac
Regional agency60 ac
Not recorded678 ac
State Other or Unknown · 649 acLocal Park · 114 acConservation Easement · 88 acLocal Conservation Area · 31 acState Park · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 49 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 19 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 632 | Unknown |
| Woodmanor Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Northwest Branch Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Drake Drive Neighborhood Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Flower Valley Neighborhood Park Local Park | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Matthew Henson State Park Local Park | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Norwood Village Neighborhood Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Montgomery County Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Matthew Henson State Park Unit #3 State Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 12 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Aspen Hill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Aspen Hill
28 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.7 miUnpaved · 4.0 mi
Lakeside Trail1.7 mi
Sunfish Trail0.2 mi
Croydon Creek Woodland Trail0.2 mi
Matthew Henson Trail0.1 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.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Needwood LoopBike route
1.7 miCourts & fields
59Tennis
14Basketball
13Baseball
11Pickleball
10Soccer
2Softball
1Football
1Golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Aspen Hill: April to June and August
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 54 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Aspen Hill →
Next door
Aspen Hill and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cloverly26 miRockville19 miOlney17 miAspen Hill13 miWheaton12 miGlenmont1.1 miLayhill0.3 miLeisure World0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen Hill | 13% | 1.3 | 11 | 89% | A− |
| Wheaton | 22% | 1.7 | 13 | 99% | A |
| Leisure World | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 71% | C− |
| Rockville | 10% | 1.4 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Olney | 19% | 1.1 | 21 | 95% | A |
| Layhill | 24% | 0.2 | 18 | 98% | A− |
| Cloverly | 28% | 2.6 | 36 | 90% | A+ |
| Glenmont | 14% | 0.4 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Aspen Hill
Where can I hike in Aspen Hill?
The longest trail networks: Rock Creek Regional Park, 3.1 miles; Wood Local Park, 0.5 miles; Flower Valley Neighborhood Park, 0.4 miles; North Gate Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Aspen Hill is conserved land?
13% 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 Aspen Hill’s trails?
Rock Creek Regional Park and Wood Local Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Aspen Hill?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 9.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: Needwood Loop.
Is there public land near Aspen Hill?
21,910 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Aspen Hill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 581 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Aspen Hill have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #62 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 Aspen Hill 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 →