Seneca Creek State Park
Managed by Maryland Park Service
1,813 acres17.5 mi of trail
Seneca Ridge TrailSeneca Greenway TrailLong Draught SouthSmokey Glen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: TwoScarsUp · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Darnestown
Darnestown has 38 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
582 acres are parks and preserves, 83 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Darnestown’s land is conserved, about 1,364 acres. The biggest trail networks: Seneca Creek State Park (17.5 mi), Blockhouse Point Conservation Park (8 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #60 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,364 acres · of 16.4 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
582 ac
83 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.5 mi
7.2 mi lanes · 0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Darnestown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Darnestown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Darnestown is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #60 of 261 in Maryland. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Darnestown’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land83 acres of park per 1,000 residents (582 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13AParks close to home31% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%C
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 Darnestown’s 13% is ahead of 70% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
Water is 5% of Darnestown’s area (1 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Seneca Creek State Park, with 17.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
553 acres8 mi of trail
Muddy Branch Greenway TrailBlockhouse TrailUpland Woods TrailCanyon Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Dierrsen Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Wildlife and Heritage Service
54 acres0.4 mi of trail
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Boat Ramp Parking LotWebsite ↗
Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
238 acres0.1 mi of trail
Muddy Branch Greenway Trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Seneca Creek State Park1,813 acres · 17.5 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsBlockhouse Point Conservation Park553 acres · 8 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsDierrsen Wildlife Management Area54 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Wildlife and Heritage Service
DirectionsCallithea Farm Special Park91 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsMuddy Branch Stream Valley Park238 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSeneca Landing Special Park14 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsOrchard Neighborhood Park12 acres · Montgomery Parks
Darnestown Local Park - Cliff Bland Recreation Area10 acres
DirectionsIslands of the Potomac Wildlife Management Area3 acres · Wildlife and Heritage Service
Berryville Road Neighborhood Conservation Area3 acres
DirectionsDarnestown Heritage Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,364 conserved acres
13% of Darnestown’s land. Water is left out: Darnestown has 16.4 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Darnestown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government400 ac
County348 ac
National Park Service214 ac
Regional agency94 ac
State natural resources71 ac
Not recorded687 ac
Conservation Easement · 714 acLocal Park · 531 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 213 acState Other or Unknown · 195 acLocal Other or Unknown · 100 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 359 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 83 of 168 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blockhouse Pt. Park Local Park | Not recorded | 623 | Unknown |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 213 | Restricted |
| Callithea Farm Sp Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 90 | Open |
| Seneca Creek State Park State Park | State natural resources | 44 | Open |
| Quince Orchard Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 39 | Open |
| Upper Potamac Properties Park Local Park | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| Patowmack Island Local Park | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Orchard Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Darnestown Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| MO CO Historic Preservation Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Darnestown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Darnestown
Darnestown Swim and Raquet Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Darnestown
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Darnestown
Rock Beach, water entry
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Darnestown
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Darnestown
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 27.3 miHorses · 8.0 miUnpaved · 28.1 mi
Seneca Ridge Trail6.3 mi
Seneca Greenway Trail5.5 mi
Muddy Branch Greenway Trail2.7 mi
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath2.1 mi
Powerline Trail1.2 mi
Long Draught South1.1 mi
Smokey Glen Trail1.0 mi
Blockhouse Trail0.9 mi
Calithea Trail0.9 mi
Seneca Greenway Shared use0.7 mi
15 more trails
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail
0.7 miUpland Woods Trail
0.6 miSeneca Greenway & Seneca Bluffs Trail
0.5 miCanyon Trail
0.5 miHadcon Trail
0.5 miSpringhouse Trail
0.5 miHappy Valley
0.5 miOld South River Road Trail
0.5 miSioux Lane Connector
0.4 miCreekside
0.3 miPaw Paw Trail
0.3 miPower Line Connector
0.3 miBerryville Road Connector
0.2 miSeneca Creek Greenway
0.2 miConnector Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
8.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
MoCo EpicBike route
13.8 miMoCoEpic SouthBike route
7.5 mi50 (Maryland)Bike route
2.8 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland)Bike route
2.8 miChesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland)Bike route
2.8 miCourts & fields
29Tennis
12Basketball
12Equestrian
8Baseball
5Soccer
2Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Darnestown: April 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 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Darnestown →
Next door
Darnestown and its neighbors
Darnestown has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Great Falls47 miDarnestown38 miGermantown21 miNorth Potomac15 miTravilah13 miGaithersburg11 miLowes Island8.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darnestown | 13% | 2.3 | 83 | 31% | A |
| Travilah | 18% | 0.8 | 64 | 65% | A |
| Germantown | 22% | 1.2 | 9 | 97% | A |
| North Potomac | 6% | 2.3 | 5 | 92% | A− |
| Gaithersburg | 9% | 1.0 | 9 | 98% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Darnestown
Where can I hike in Darnestown?
The longest trail networks: Seneca Creek State Park, 17.5 miles; Blockhouse Point Conservation Park, 8 miles; Dierrsen Wildlife Management Area, 0.4 miles; Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Darnestown 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 Darnestown’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Blockhouse Point Conservation Park and Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Darnestown?
8.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of painted or protected lanes, 0.3 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: MoCo Epic, MoCoEpic South and 50 (Maryland).
Is there public land near Darnestown?
23,060 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Darnestown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 582 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Darnestown have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #60 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 Darnestown 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 →