Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
28 acres0.6 mi of trail
Wheaton Branch Left Bank TrailWheaton Branch Right Bank Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Forest Glen
14% of Forest Glen’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. 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Forest Glen, 2.9 per square mile of land. 14% of Forest Glen’s land is conserved, about 90 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #33 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
90 acres · of 1.0 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
55 ac
8.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Forest Glen?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Forest Glen have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Forest Glen is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #33 of 261 in Maryland. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Glen’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land8.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (55 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13C+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 92%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 88%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Forest Glen’s 14% is ahead of 73% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% 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 Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McKenney Hills Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Capitol View Open Space Urban Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Forest Grove Neighborhood Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park28 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsMcKenney Hills Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsCapitol View Open Space Urban Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsGetty Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsCapitol View – Homewood Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsForest Grove Neighborhood Park6 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsForest Glen Neighborhood Park3 acres · The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
DirectionsWho protects it
90 conserved acres
14% of Forest Glen’s land. Who manages Forest Glen’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency31 ac
County16 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government8 ac
Other state land1 ac
Not recorded48 ac
Local Park · 53 acState Other or Unknown · 33 acConservation Easement · 17 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 10 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sligo Creek Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Forest Estates Park Local Park | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
| Mckenney Hills Np Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Capitol View Park Open Space Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Forest Grove Np Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Forest Glen Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Gen Petty Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Capitol View-Homewood Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Forest Glen
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Forest Glen
Henrietta Schwartz PlaygroundIn McKenney Hills Park
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Forest Glen
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Forest Glen
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.7 mi
Wheaton Branch Right Bank Trail0.2 mi
Wheaton Branch Left Bank Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 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
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Basketball
6Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Forest Glen: 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 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 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 Forest Glen →
Next door
Forest Glen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Glen | 14% | 2.9 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Kemp Mill | 18% | 2.7 | 3 | 96% | A− |
| Wheaton | 22% | 1.7 | 13 | 99% | A |
| South Kensington | 20% | 0.9 | 3 | 85% | B+ |
| Silver Spring | 15% | 1.4 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Forest Glen
Where can I hike in Forest Glen?
The longest trail networks: Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, 0.6 miles; McKenney Hills Park, 0.3 miles; Capitol View Open Space Urban Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Forest Glen 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 Forest Glen’s trails?
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park and McKenney Hills Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Forest Glen?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 1.3 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Forest Glen?
17,045 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Forest Glen or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 55 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Forest Glen have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #33 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 Forest Glen 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 →