Seneca Creek State Park
Managed by Maryland Park Service
70 acres1.1 mi of trail
Lake Shore Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory · Photo: BobDrzyzgula · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Gaithersburg
9% of Gaithersburg’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11 miles of mapped trail cross Gaithersburg, 1.0 per square mile of land. 9% of Gaithersburg’s land is conserved, about 619 acres. The biggest trail networks: Seneca Creek State Park (1.1 mi), Diamond Farms Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #73 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
619 acres · of 10.3 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
643 ac
9.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
3.2 mi lanes · 23 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Gaithersburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gaithersburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gaithersburg is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Gaithersburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land9.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (643 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home98% of 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 72%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Gaithersburg’s 9% is ahead of 51% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% 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 Seneca Creek State Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Diamond Farms Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
24 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Washingtonian Woods Park
Park
15 acres0.3 mi of trail
Washingtonian Woods Park Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 28 parks & preserves
Seneca Creek State Park70 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Diamond Farms Park24 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsMorris Park32 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWashingtonian Woods Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBlohm Park29 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Kelley Park21 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRobertson Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Little Quarry Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMalcolm King Park79 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreen Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBohrer Park47 acres
DirectionsDiscovery Park15 acres
DirectionsLakelands Park11 acres
DirectionsAsbury "Wildlife at Work" Protected Habitat11 acres
Pleasant View Park9 acres · City of Gaithersburg
DirectionsRio Park6 acres
DirectionsCity Hall and Civic Center Park5 acres
DirectionsChristman Park4 acres
Casey Community Center4 acres
Duvall Park3 acres
Wells-Robertson House2 acres
DirectionsGaithersburg Latitude Observatory2 acres
Travis Avenue Park2 acres
Constitution Gardens1 acres
DirectionsKentlands Green1 acres
DirectionsOlde Towne Plaza1 acres
DirectionsKentlands Mansion1 acres
DirectionsCrown Community Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
619 conserved acres
9% of Gaithersburg’s land. Who manages Gaithersburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city332 ac
County263 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government68 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
Other state land2 ac
Private owners1 ac
Not recorded411 ac
Local Park · 672 acLocal Other or Unknown · 224 acConservation Easement · 101 acForest Stewardship Easement · 37 acPrivate Conservation · 33 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 51 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 32 of 68 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County Local Park | County | 203 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 202 | Unknown |
| Muddy Branch Local Park | Town or city | 126 | Open |
| Victory Farms Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 67 | Unknown |
| Kentlands Lakes Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Metropolitan Grove Park Local Park | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| Lake Halycon Private Conservation | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Diamond Farm Park Local Park | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Municipality Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Summitt Hall Morris Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 27 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
109 places to go in Gaithersburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Gaithersburg
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Gaithersburg
Billy's PlaygroundIn Lakelands Park
DirectionsKids Play Gallery
DirectionsLi'l Village Playground
DirectionsPark Summit Children's Playground
DirectionsPark Summit Toddler's Playground
Directions98 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Gaithersburg
Hunt Club Dog Park
DirectionsKimco Realty Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 5 dog parks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Gaithersburg
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miUnpaved · 7.2 mi
Muddy Branch Greenway Trail1.3 mi
Lake Shore Trail0.5 mi
Lake Halcyon Trail0.4 mi
Rio Boardwalk0.4 mi
Woods Trail0.2 mi
Lake Varuna0.2 mi
Washingtonian Woods Park Path0.1 mi
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
23 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Muddy Branch Mtb RouteBike route
1.3 miCourts & fields
71Tennis
36Basketball
13Soccer
10Baseball
4Softball
2Multi-sport
2Skate park
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gaithersburg: April, 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Gaithersburg →
Next door
Gaithersburg and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Darnestown38 miRedland17 miNorth Potomac15 miGaithersburg11 miMontgomery Village4.0 miFlower Hill2.4 miWashington Grove1.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaithersburg | 9% | 1.0 | 9 | 98% | A− |
| Flower Hill | 17% | 1.1 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Montgomery Village | 12% | 1.0 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Redland | 32% | 2.3 | 58 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Potomac | 6% | 2.3 | 5 | 92% | A− |
| Darnestown | 13% | 2.3 | 83 | 31% | A |
| Washington Grove | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gaithersburg
Where can I hike in Gaithersburg?
The longest trail networks: Seneca Creek State Park, 1.1 miles; Diamond Farms Park, 0.6 miles; Morris Park, 0.4 miles; Washingtonian Woods Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gaithersburg is conserved land?
9% 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 Gaithersburg’s trails?
Seneca Creek State Park and Diamond Farms Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gaithersburg?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes, 23 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Muddy Branch Mtb Route.
Is there public land near Gaithersburg?
21,473 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gaithersburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 643 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gaithersburg have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #73 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 Gaithersburg 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 →