Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Prospect Hill · Photo: E.H. Pickering, HABS photographer · Public domain46% of Hampton’s land is conserved, about 1,745 acres. 364 acres are parks and preserves, 68 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (26.3 mi), Cromwell Valley Park (13.3 mi), Hampton National Historic Site (1.4 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #6 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hampton is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #6 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Hampton’s 46% is ahead of 100% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 100% of them.
Water is 6% of Hampton’s area (0 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 43%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative WMA, with 26.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
46% of Hampton’s land. Water is left out: Hampton has 6.0 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 89 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loch Raven Reservoir Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,236 | Unknown |
| Gunpowder Falls Sp State Park | Not recorded | 302 | Unknown |
| Hampton National Historic Site Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 62 | Restricted |
| Drainage And Utility Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Local Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
| Gunpowder Falls State Park State Park | State natural resources | 20 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
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 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hampton →
Hampton has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 46% | 7.4 | 68 | 85% | A+ |
| Lutherville | 3% | 0.3 | 6 | 66% | C+ |
| Timonium | 41% | 1.9 | 4 | 43% | B+ |
| Carney | 12% | 1.2 | 18 | 86% | A |
| Towson | 7% | 2.1 | 10 | 87% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area, 26.3 miles; Cromwell Valley Park, 13.3 miles; Hampton National Historic Site, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
46% 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.
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (on leash) and Cromwell Valley Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
20,241 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 364 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hampton neighbors.
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 →