Governor Bridge Natural Area
Park
85 acres1.6 mi of trail
Green TrailBlue TrailRed TrailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bowie
13% of Bowie’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13% of Bowie’s land is conserved, about 1,684 acres. The biggest trail networks: Governor Bridge Natural Area (1.6 mi), Allen Pond Park (1 mi). 1,182 acres are parks and preserves, 20 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #67 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,684 acres · of 20.4 sq mi of land
Trails
9.0 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,182 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
23 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Bowie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bowie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bowie is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #67 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.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bowie’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,182 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home96% 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 84%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 75%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Bowie’s 13% is ahead of 69% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 43% 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 Governor Bridge Natural Area, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Green Branch Athletic Complex
Park
282 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Governor Bridge Natural Area85 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAllen Pond Park75 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreen Branch Athletic Complex282 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFoxhill Park45 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Enfield Chase Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Somerset Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Prince George's Stadium29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGardner Canoe Launch6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Tall Oaks Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWhitemarsh Park233 acres
DirectionsPatuxent River Park110 acres · M-NCPPC
Yorktown Community Park54 acres · M-NCPPC
Patuxent River Park II23 acres
Church Road Park14 acres
DirectionsRockledge Park8 acres
North Oak Court Park6 acres
Collington Station Community Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,684 conserved acres
13% of Bowie’s land. Who manages Bowie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government503 ac
Regional agency462 ac
County428 ac
Other state land6 ac
Town or city4 ac
Not recorded831 ac
Local Park · 980 acState Other or Unknown · 603 acConservation Easement · 359 acForest Stewardship Easement · 239 acLocal Other or Unknown · 45 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 229 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 68 of 172 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Branch Athletic Complex Local Park | Regional agency | 279 | Open |
| White Marsh Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 209 | Unknown |
| Patuxent River Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 163 | Unknown |
| Putuxent River Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 111 | Open |
| MD National Capital Parks and Planning Commission State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Allen Pond Park Local Park | Not recorded | 83 | Unknown |
| Blacksox Park Local Park | Not recorded | 70 | Unknown |
| Patuxent River Watershed Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 57 | Open |
| Collington Branch Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 56 | Unknown |
| Saddlebrook East Park Local Park | Regional agency | 50 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Bowie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bowie
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Bowie
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Bowie
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Bowie
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Green Trail0.5 mi
Blue Trail0.5 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Orange Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
23 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
47Tennis
21Soccer
21Baseball
13Basketball
4Multi-sport
3Football
3Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bowie: 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 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bowie →
Next door
Bowie and its neighbors
Bowie has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie | 13% | 0.4 | 20 | 96% | A− |
| Glenn Dale | 5% | 0.1 | 10 | 88% | B− |
| Brock Hall | 12% | 0.3 | 11 | 64% | B |
| Woodmore | 22% | 0.1 | 55 | 68% | B+ |
| Queen Anne | 18% | 0.2 | 519 | 32% | B+ |
| Kettering | 24% | 1.5 | 8 | 78% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bowie
Where can I hike in Bowie?
The longest trail networks: Governor Bridge Natural Area, 1.6 miles; Allen Pond Park, 1 miles; Green Branch Athletic Complex, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bowie 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 Bowie’s trails?
Governor Bridge Natural Area and Allen Pond Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bowie?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 23 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bowie?
17,823 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bowie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,182 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bowie have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #67 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 Bowie 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 →