Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
135 acres1.9 mi of trail
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal TrailRound Tower Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jb91archivist · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Brunswick
12% of Brunswick’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 6.8 miles of mapped trail cross Brunswick, 2.1 per square mile of land. 12% of Brunswick’s land is conserved, about 256 acres.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #21 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
256 acres · of 3.3 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
115 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Brunswick?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brunswick have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brunswick is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #21 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brunswick’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (115 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 92%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Brunswick’s 12% is ahead of 66% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% of them.
Water is 12% of Brunswick’s area (0 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shenandoah Square Park
Park
2 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Galyn Manor Green Park
Managed by City of Brunswick
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park135 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsShenandoah Square Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Galyn Manor Green Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Brunswick
Brunswick Heights Park1 acres
DirectionsBrunswick City Park1 acres
DirectionsBrunswick Dog Park1 acres
DirectionsRailroad Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
256 conserved acres
12% of Brunswick’s land. Water is left out: Brunswick has 3.3 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brunswick’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service103 ac
County99 ac
Town or city85 ac
Private owners11 ac
Regional agency8 ac
Not recorded6 ac
Historic or Cultural Area · 103 acLocal Park · 102 acForest Stewardship Easement · 60 acConservation Easement · 38 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 42 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 37 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 103 | Restricted |
| Brunswick Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Galyn Manor Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Brunswick Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Brunswick Crossing-Community Center Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Brunswick City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
| Railroaders Little League Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| West End Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Brunswick Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Brunswick Crossing Tot Lot (Crums Hollow Dr) Local Park | Private owners | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Brunswick
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Brunswick
City of Brunswick Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Brunswick
West End Park
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brunswick
Brunswick Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Brunswick
Brunswick Family CampgroundFee · In Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.3 miHorses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 5.6 mi
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail1.4 mi
Smoketown Pass0.8 mi
Pozzwell Pass0.7 mi
Brunswick City Park Trail0.6 mi
Rail Yard0.5 mi
Kersey's Overlook0.4 mi
HiLine0.3 mi
Road Most Traveled0.2 mi
Chain Breaker0.1 mi
Round Tower Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Beehive Return Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
50 (Maryland)Bike route
1.4 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland)Bike route
1.4 miChesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland)Bike route
1.4 miCourts & fields
12Tennis
5Baseball
4Basketball
2Football
1Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Brunswick Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brunswick: April, 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) | 41 | 45 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Brunswick →
Next door
Brunswick and its neighbors
Brunswick has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | 12% | 2.1 | 14 | 99%+ | A |
| Rosemont | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brunswick
Where can I hike in Brunswick?
The longest trail networks: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, 1.9 miles; Shenandoah Square Park, 0.2 miles; Galyn Manor Green Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brunswick is conserved land?
12% 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 Brunswick’s trails?
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Shenandoah Square Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brunswick?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: 50 (Maryland), 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland) and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland).
Is there public land near Brunswick?
7,850 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brunswick or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 115 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Brunswick have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 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 Brunswick 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 →