Oxon Cove Park · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainMore than half of Forest Heights’ land is conserved: 51%
51% of Forest Heights’ land is conserved, about 536 acres. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 3.5 miles of mapped trail cross Forest Heights, 2.1 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Forest Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Forest Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Forest Heights is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs put Forest Heights near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Forest Heights’ 51% is ahead of 100% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oxon Cove Park
536 conserved acres
51% of Forest Heights’ land. Who manages Forest Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Memorial Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 451 | Restricted |
| Betty Blume Neighborhood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 70 | Unknown |
| Oxon Hill Manor Historic Site Local Park | Regional agency | 54 | Open |
| Southlawn Neighbood Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Bell Acres Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Forest Heights Neighborhood Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
2 places to go in Forest Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Forest Heights: April to June
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 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 48 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Forest Heights →
Forest Heights and its neighbors
Forest Heights has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Heights | 51% | 2.1 | 197 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Glassmanor | 10% | 0.3 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Oxon Hill | 17% | 0.3 | 4 | 64% | B− |
| National Harbor | 9% | 0.3 | 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 Forest Heights
How much of Forest Heights is conserved land?
51% 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 Heights’ trails?
Oxon Hill Manor and Oxon Cove Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Forest Heights?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Forest Heights?
19,954 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Forest Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 521 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Forest Heights have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 Heights neighbors.
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 →