South Mountain State Park
Managed by Maryland Park Service
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Fort Ritchie
More than half of Fort Ritchie’s land is conserved: 92%
92% of Fort Ritchie’s land is conserved, about 574 acres. 7 acres are parks and preserves, 573 per 1,000 residents. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.
Conserved land
92%
574 acres · of 1.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
7 ac
573 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
574 conserved acres
92% of Fort Ritchie’s land. Who manages Fort Ritchie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources5 ac
Town or city2 ac
Not recorded574 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 409 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 161 acState Park · 9 acLocal Park · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 409 | Unknown |
| Private Land Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 141 | Unknown |
| Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| South Mountain Sp State Park | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| South Mountain State Park State Park | State natural resources | 5 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fort Ritchie: April and June to 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 49 | 62 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Fort Ritchie →
Next door
Fort Ritchie and its neighbors
Fort Ritchie has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Ritchie | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Highfield-Cascade | 11% | 2.1 | 143 | 26% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Ritchie
Are dogs allowed on Fort Ritchie’s trails?
South Mountain State Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fort Ritchie?
32,369 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Ritchie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fort Ritchie 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 →