Rock Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
143 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: USDAgov · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Chevy Chase
14% of Chevy Chase’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. 4.2 miles of mapped trail cross Chevy Chase, 1.7 per square mile of land. 14% of Chevy Chase’s land is conserved, about 221 acres.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #15 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
221 acres · of 2.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.2 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
156 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 1.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Chevy Chase?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chevy Chase have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chevy Chase is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #15 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 Chevy Chase’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (156 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13BParks 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 95%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 95%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Chevy Chase’s 14% is ahead of 73% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% 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 Stream Valley Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Woodend Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Nature Forward
40 acres1.3 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
North Chevy Chase Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
30 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Meadowbrook Local Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
30 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Rock Creek Stream Valley Park143 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWoodend Nature Sanctuary40 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Nature Forward
DirectionsNorth Chevy Chase Park30 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsMeadowbrook Local Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsJones Mill Road Neighborhood Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsLynnbrook Park7 acres
DirectionsChevy Chase Park3 acres · Montgomery County
East-West Highway Neighborhood Conservation Area2 acres
Who protects it
221 conserved acres
14% of Chevy Chase’s land. Who manages Chevy Chase’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government99 ac
County3 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Other state land1 ac
National Park Service1 ac
Not recorded175 ac
State Other or Unknown · 174 acLocal Park · 98 acConservation Easement · 6 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 1 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 15 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 Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 129 | Open |
| Rock Creek Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 104 | Unknown |
| North Chevy Chase Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 30 | Open |
| Lynbrook Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Chevy Chase Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| East-West Highway Neighborhood Conservation Area Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
19 places to go in Chevy Chase
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chevy Chase
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Chevy Chase
Lynnbrook Park Toddler Playground
DirectionsNature Play SpaceIn Woodend Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Chevy Chase
Pond ClassroomIn Woodend Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
23Tennis
13Golf
9Basketball
7Baseball
5Soccer
4Pickleball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
WoodendBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Chevy Chase: 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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 68 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 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 Chevy Chase →
Next door
Chevy Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevy Chase | 14% | 1.7 | 16 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Silver Spring | 15% | 1.4 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
| South Kensington | 20% | 0.9 | 3 | 85% | B+ |
| Bethesda | 6% | 0.5 | 3 | 99% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chevy Chase
Where can I hike in Chevy Chase?
The longest trail networks: Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, 1.8 miles; Woodend Nature Sanctuary, 1.3 miles; North Chevy Chase Park, 0.7 miles; Meadowbrook Local Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chevy Chase is conserved land?
14% 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 Chevy Chase’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Rock Creek Stream Valley Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chevy Chase?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 1.9 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Chevy Chase?
19,335 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chevy Chase or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 156 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chevy Chase have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 Chevy Chase 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 →