Rockfield Park
Park
54 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Yaoiloverr · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bel Air
7% of Bel Air’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Rockfield Park (0.6 mi). 7% of Bel Air’s land is conserved, about 129 acres. 132 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #124 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
129 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
132 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Bel Air?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bel Air have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bel Air is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #124 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bel Air’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (132 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home97% 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 71%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 53%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Bel Air’s 7% is ahead of 38% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% of them.
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 Rockfield Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 8 parks & preserves
Rockfield Park54 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHomestead Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heavenly Waters Park11 acres
DirectionsAquila Scott Park11 acres
DirectionsMajors Choice Park8 acres
Shamrock Park4 acres · Town of Bel Air
DirectionsPlumtree Park3 acres
DirectionsBynum Run Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
129 conserved acres
7% of Bel Air’s land. Who manages Bel Air’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city26 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government18 ac
County9 ac
Other state land2 ac
State parks1 ac
Not recorded85 ac
Local Park · 120 acForest Stewardship Easement · 8 acLocal Other or Unknown · 5 acConservation Easement · 3 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 22 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockfield Park Local Park | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Aquila Scott Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Heavenly Waters Park Local Park | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| William N. Mcfaul Activities Center Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Majors Choice Park Local Park | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
| Shamrock Park Local Park | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| County Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Plumtree Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
Things to do
19 places to go in Bel Air
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bel Air
Harford Bounce Party Place
DirectionsRockfield Creative PlaygroundIn Rockfield Park
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tennis
9Baseball
6Basketball
3Soccer
3Lacrosse
2Football
2Softball
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Odd Fellows LodgeBuilding · listed 1975
About itHays HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itGraham-Crocker HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itHarford National BankBuilding · listed 1980
About itBel Air Courthouse Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itBel Air ArmoryBuilding · listed 1985
About itProctor HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itGraystone LodgeBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bel Air: 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 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bel Air →
Next door
Bel Air and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bel Air | 7% | 0.3 | 13 | 97% | B+ |
| Bel Air North | 15% | 0.3 | 15 | 44% | B |
| Bel Air South | 10% | 1.0 | 11 | 70% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bel Air
Where can I hike in Bel Air?
The longest trail networks: Rockfield Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bel Air is conserved land?
7% 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 Bel Air’s trails?
Rockfield Park and Heavenly Waters Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bel Air?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bel Air?
15,034 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bel Air or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 132 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bel Air have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 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 Bel Air 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 →