Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Baltimore City Department of Public Works
3,277 acres44.7 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Warfield Complex, Hubner, and T Buildings · Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Eldersburg
Eldersburg has 100 miles of mapped trails, 2.5 for every square mile of land
22% of Eldersburg’s land is conserved, about 5,546 acres. 2,186 acres are parks and preserves, 69 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (44.7 mi), Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area (14.5 mi), Piney Run Park (12.6 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #28 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,546 acres · of 39.8 sq mi of land
Trails
100 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,186 ac
69 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Eldersburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Eldersburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Eldersburg is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #28 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 Eldersburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (100 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land69 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,186 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 90%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Eldersburg’s 22% is ahead of 89% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
Water is 6% of Eldersburg’s area (3 of 42 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Liberty Reservoir Cooperative WMA, with 44.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
573 acres14.5 mi of trail
Switchback TrailTall Poplar TrailPlantation TrailSpring Glen Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Piney Run Park
Park
532 acres12.6 mi of trail
Inlet TrailNature Center TrailWoods PathShoreline Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Morgan Run Natural Environment Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
897 acres11.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Trailer parkingWebsite ↗
Patapsco Valley State Park Freedom Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
1,588 acres9.3 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area3,277 acres · 44.7 mi of trail · Baltimore City Department of Public Works
DirectionsPatapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area573 acres · 14.5 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsPiney Run Park532 acres · 12.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMorgan Run Natural Environment Area897 acres · 11.5 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsPatapsco Valley State Park Freedom Area1,588 acres · 9.3 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsHugg-Thomas Wildlife Management Area10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wildlife and Heritage Service
Monroe Ave Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Patapsco Valley State Park Sykesville/Henryton Area2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Patapsco Valley State Park Norbeck Area363 acres · Maryland Park Service
Freedom Park86 acres · Carroll County Government
DirectionsHodges Park22 acres
Oklahoma Middle School Field9 acres
Patapsco Valley State Park Woodstock Area1 acres · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsQuail Meadow Park1 acres
Brimfield Park1 acres
Who protects it
5,546 conserved acres
22% of Eldersburg’s land. Water is left out: Eldersburg has 39.8 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Eldersburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,584 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government366 ac
State natural resources335 ac
Other state land264 ac
State conservation193 ac
Joint33 ac
State parks4 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 2,428 acConservation Easement · 1,305 acLocal Park · 1,068 acState Park · 1,059 acForest Stewardship Easement · 780 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,077 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 207 of 422 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Reservoir Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2,121 | Unknown |
| Morgan Run Nea State Park | Not recorded | 912 | Unknown |
| Piney Run Park Local Park | Not recorded | 848 | Unknown |
| Carroll County Parks Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 201 | Unknown |
| Linton Springs ES/ Century HS Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 124 | Unknown |
| Patapsco Valley Sp State Park | Not recorded | 74 | Unknown |
| Patapsco Valley State Park State Park | State natural resources | 73 | Open |
| Linton Springs Elementary / Century High School Local Recreation Area | County | 58 | Open |
| Liberty HS Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Sykesville Linear Trial Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Eldersburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Eldersburg
Peservoir Ridge Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Eldersburg
Piney Ridge Townhome Playground
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Eldersburg
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Eldersburg
McKeldin FallsIn Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area
DirectionsScenic views in Eldersburg
Liberty Dam OverlookIn Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area
DirectionsMcKeldin FallsIn Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Eldersburg
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Eldersburg
McKeldin Youth Group CampingIn Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area · Maryland Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDisc golf in Eldersburg
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
17 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 40.1 miHorses · 40.5 miUnpaved · 63.2 mi
Switchback Trail4.0 mi
Inlet Trail2.8 mi
Tall Poplar Trail1.4 mi
Plantation Trail1.3 mi
Nature Center Trail0.9 mi
Spring Glen Trail0.8 mi
Shoreline Trail0.6 mi
Woods Path0.5 mi
McKeldin Falls Rapids Trail0.5 mi
Oak Path0.5 mi
7 more trails
River Trail
0.3 miMedicine Tree Trail
0.3 miField Path
0.3 miPiney Path
0.3 miSycamore Path
0.2 miDam Overlook Connector
0.1 miFilbey Path
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Patapsco Traverse (north mtb)Bike route
1.7 miCourts & fields
22Soccer
19Baseball
11Tennis
8Basketball
1Field hockey
1Football
1Multi-sport
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Eldersburg: 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 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Eldersburg →
Next door
Eldersburg and its neighbors
Eldersburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldersburg | 22% | 2.5 | 69 | 59% | A |
| Sykesville | 18% | 0.3 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Eldersburg
Where can I hike in Eldersburg?
The longest trail networks: Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area, 44.7 miles; Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area, 14.5 miles; Piney Run Park, 12.6 miles; Morgan Run Natural Environment Area, 11.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Eldersburg is conserved land?
22% 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 Eldersburg’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (on leash), Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area and Patapsco Valley State Park Freedom Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Eldersburg?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Patapsco Traverse (north mtb).
Is there public land near Eldersburg?
14,445 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Eldersburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,186 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Eldersburg have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 Eldersburg 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 →