Greenbelt Park
Managed by National Park Service
1,018 acres11.2 mi of trail
Perimeter TrailDogwood TrailAzalea TrailBlueberry Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Payton Chung from DCA, USA · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Greenbelt
40% of Greenbelt’s 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. 40% of Greenbelt’s land is conserved, about 1,607 acres. 17 miles of mapped trail cross Greenbelt, 2.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #12 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
40%
1,607 acres · of 6.2 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
2.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
242 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
6.8 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Greenbelt?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greenbelt have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greenbelt is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #12 of 261 in Maryland. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greenbelt’s overall grade.
Conserved land40% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (242 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks 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 96%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 96%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Greenbelt’s 40% is ahead of 98% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% of them.
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 Greenbelt Park, with 11.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Buddy Attick Lake Park
Managed by Greenbelt Recreation
70 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Schrom Hills Lake Park
Park
46 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Managed by National Park Service
288 acres0.3 mi of trail
Perimeter Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,607 conserved acres
40% of Greenbelt’s land. Who manages Greenbelt’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,350 ac
County101 ac
State natural resources95 ac
Town or city26 ac
Other state land8 ac
Private owners3 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Special Designation Area · 1,275 acLocal Park · 150 acConservation Easement · 99 acForest Stewardship Easement · 98 acRecreation or Education Easement · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 184 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 14 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt Park Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 1,163 | Restricted |
| National Capital Parks Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 233 | Restricted |
| Schrom Hill Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Greenbelt Ball Fields Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Cherrywood Park Local Park | Private owners | 3 | Open |
Things to do
46 places to go in Greenbelt
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Greenbelt
Aquatic Recreation Center #1
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Greenbelt
dragonfly playground
Directionsspinning playground
Directions33 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Greenbelt
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Greenbelt
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Greenbelt
Holly Picnic AreaFee · In Greenbelt Park
DirectionsLaurel Picnic AreaFee · In Greenbelt Park
DirectionsSweetgum Picnic AreaIn Greenbelt Park
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Greenbelt
Greenbelt Park CampgroundIn Greenbelt Park · National Park Service
DirectionsGreenbelt Park CampgroundFee · In Greenbelt Park · National Park Service
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.4 miUnpaved · 13.8 mi
Perimeter Trail5.2 mi
Dogwood Trail1.4 mi
Azalea Trail1.0 mi
Blueberry Trail0.7 mi
Goddard Branch Trail0.6 mi
Metro Trail0.4 mi
Hiking Trail0.4 mi
East Blueberry Hill Trail0.3 mi
Fitness Trail0.3 mi
Fire Trail0.2 mi
6 more trails
Southwest Blueberry Hill Trail
0.2 miHamilton Place Trail
0.1 miYoga Trail
0.1 miDisappearing Trail (NW Blueberry Hill)
0.1 miObservatory Trail
0.1 miEagle Bridge Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
3.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
23Tennis
16Basketball
5Baseball
2Soccer
1Football
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Greenbelt: 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 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Greenbelt →
Next door
Greenbelt and its neighbors
Greenbelt has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Greenbelt17 miCollege Park4.3 miSeabrook2.8 miRiverdale Park1.9 miEast Riverdale0.2 miBerwyn Heights0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt | 40% | 2.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Berwyn Heights | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C+ |
| College Park | 12% | 0.8 | 6 | 99% | A− |
| Seabrook | 4% | 0.9 | 3 | 89% | B |
| Riverdale Park | 27% | 1.2 | 15 | 99%+ | A |
| East Riverdale | 10% | 0.1 | 1 | 99%+ | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greenbelt
Where can I hike in Greenbelt?
The longest trail networks: Greenbelt Park, 11.2 miles; Buddy Attick Lake Park, 1.8 miles; Schrom Hills Lake Park, 0.4 miles; Baltimore-Washington Parkway, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greenbelt is conserved land?
40% 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 Greenbelt’s trails?
Greenbelt Park and Buddy Attick Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greenbelt?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of painted or protected lanes, 1.7 of off-road paths and 3.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Greenbelt?
17,988 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greenbelt or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 242 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Greenbelt have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 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 Greenbelt 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 →