Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
95 acres1.1 mi of trail
Northwest Branch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Four Corners
14% of Four Corners’ 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. 14% of Four Corners’ land is conserved, about 127 acres. 1.4 miles of mapped trail cross Four Corners, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #77 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
127 acres · of 1.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.4 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
32 ac
3.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Four Corners?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Four Corners have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Four Corners is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #77 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Four Corners’ overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (32 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13CParks 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 83%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 71%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Four Corners’ 14% is ahead of 72% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Four Corners Local Park
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Blair Local Park
Park
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park95 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsBlair Local Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Four Corners Local Park14 acres
DirectionsPinecrest Park5 acres
DirectionsBurnt Mills West Special Park1 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsBurnt Mills East Special Park1 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWho protects it
127 conserved acres
14% of Four Corners’ land. Who manages Four Corners’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government70 ac
Regional agency25 ac
Not recorded103 ac
State Other or Unknown · 103 acLocal Park · 95 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Branch Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 160 | Unknown |
| North Four Corners Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Blair Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Northwood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
| Pinecrest Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Burnt Mills West Sp Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Four Corners
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Four Corners
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Four Corners
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Four Corners
Big RockIn Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Four Corners
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miHorses · 0.8 miUnpaved · 1.2 mi
Northwest Branch Trail0.8 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Northwest Branch TrailBike route
0.6 miCourts & fields
12Tennis
7Basketball
5Baseball
3Soccer
2Football
2Tracks
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Polychrome Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Four Corners: 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 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 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 Four Corners →
Next door
Four Corners 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Corners | 14% | 1.0 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Kemp Mill | 18% | 2.7 | 3 | 96% | A− |
| Burnt Mills | 15% | 3.5 | 3 | 99%+ | A |
| Silver Spring | 15% | 1.4 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
| Hillandale | 12% | 2.0 | 17 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Four Corners
Where can I hike in Four Corners?
The longest trail networks: Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, 1.1 miles; Blair Local Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Four Corners 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 Four Corners’ trails?
Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park and North Four Corners Local Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Four Corners?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Northwest Branch Trail.
Is there public land near Four Corners?
17,204 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Four Corners or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 32 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Four Corners have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 Four Corners 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 →