Fort Washington Park
Managed by National Park Service
351 acres4.3 mi of trail
Fort Washington River TrailFort Washington TrailSwan Creek Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Fort Washington · Photo: Dfowlerdc · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Washington
18% of Fort Washington’s land is conserved: 1,595 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fort Washington Park (4.3 mi), Fort Foote Park (1.4 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 630 acres are parks and preserves, 25 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #65 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,595 acres · of 13.8 sq mi of land
Trails
6.4 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
630 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.7 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 1.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Washington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Washington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Washington is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #65 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Washington’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (630 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home87% 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 84%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 75%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Fort Washington’s 18% is ahead of 83% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
Water is 17% of Fort Washington’s area (3 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 15%.
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 Fort Washington Park, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Foote Park
Managed by National Park Service
74 acres1.4 mi of trail
Fort Foote Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
259 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Henson Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
234 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Fort Washington Park351 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsFort Foote Park74 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsPiscataway Creek Stream Valley Park259 acres · Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Henson Creek Stream Valley Park234 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPiscataway Park195 acres · National Park Service
Harmony Hall61 acres · National Park Service
DirectionsTinkers Creek Stream Valley Park28 acres · Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Riverview Recreation Center8 acres
DirectionsFort Foote Recreation Center8 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Tor Bryan Estates Park2 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Who protects it
1,595 conserved acres
18% of Fort Washington’s land. Water is left out: Fort Washington has 13.8 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fort Washington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service698 ac
County335 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government101 ac
State natural resources97 ac
Regional agency71 ac
Joint10 ac
State conservation4 ac
Special Designation Area · 698 acState Other or Unknown · 515 acForest Stewardship Easement · 243 acConservation Easement · 205 acLocal Park · 181 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 201 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 32 of 86 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Washington Park Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 343 | Restricted |
| Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 315 | Unknown |
| Henson Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 226 | Unknown |
| Piscataway Park Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 207 | Restricted |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 148 | Restricted |
| Potomac River Park Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Riverview Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 20 | Open |
| Riverview Road Waterfront Park Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Franklin Square Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Potomac Landing Es Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Fort Washington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fort Washington
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Fort Washington
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.5 mi
Fort Washington River Trail1.2 mi
Fort Washington Trail1.2 mi
Fort Foote Trail0.5 mi
Swan Creek Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
4Golf
2Basketball
2Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Fort Washington: 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) | 45 | 48 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 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 Fort Washington →
Next door
Fort Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Washington | 18% | 0.5 | 25 | 87% | A− |
| Accokeek | 32% | 0.8 | 182 | 26% | A− |
| Clinton | 11% | 0.9 | 11 | 73% | A− |
| National Harbor | 9% | 0.3 | 3 | 99% | B |
| Friendly | 12% | 0.1 | 8 | 90% | B |
| Oxon Hill | 17% | 0.3 | 4 | 64% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Washington
Where can I hike in Fort Washington?
The longest trail networks: Fort Washington Park, 4.3 miles; Fort Foote Park, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Washington is conserved land?
18% 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 Fort Washington’s trails?
Fort Washington Park and Fort Foote Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Washington?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fort Washington?
25,983 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Washington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 630 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fort Washington have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #65 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 Fort Washington 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 →