Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
1,095 acres20.4 mi of trail
Garrett's PassMorning Choice TrailRidge TrailBloede Dam Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Scott218 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ilchester
Ilchester has 35 miles of mapped trails, 3.3 for every square mile of land
19% of Ilchester’s land is conserved, about 1,290 acres. The biggest trail networks: Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area (20.4 mi), Rockburn Branch Park (7.7 mi), Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area (4.2 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #27 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,290 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
506 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
2.1 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Ilchester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ilchester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ilchester is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #27 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ilchester’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (506 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13BParks 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 93%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 90%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Ilchester’s 19% is ahead of 85% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% 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 Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area, with 20.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rockburn Branch Park
Nature preserve
393 acres7.7 mi of trail
Rockburn TrailNu TrailPain CaveLong Cut+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
168 acres4.2 mi of trail
Rockburn Branch Trail (purple)Ridge Trail ExtensionCaptain John Smith LoopWater Bars+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Howard County Conservancy at Belmont
Nature preserve
69 acres0.2 mi of trail
Morning Choice Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area1,095 acres · 20.4 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsRockburn Branch Park393 acres · 7.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPatapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area168 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsHoward County Conservancy at Belmont69 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Waterloo Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPatapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area9 acres · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsPatapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area5 acres · Maryland Park Service
DirectionsMd School For The Deaf Fca1 acres
Who protects it
1,290 conserved acres
19% of Ilchester’s land. Who manages Ilchester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County486 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government226 ac
State natural resources161 ac
State conservation107 ac
Other state land77 ac
Joint17 ac
State parks9 ac
Local Park · 585 acConservation Easement · 450 acLocal Other or Unknown · 422 acForest Stewardship Easement · 223 acUnknown Easement · 200 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 360 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 148 of 278 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockburn Branch Park Local Park | Not recorded | 498 | Unknown |
| Lyndwood Manor Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 115 | Unknown |
| Timbers At Troy Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 100 | Unknown |
| County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 95 | Unknown |
| Belmont Manor & Historic Park Local Park | County | 68 | Open |
| Open Space Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Waterloo Park Local Park | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
| Open Space To Be Recorded Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| Mayfield Playground Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 13 | Open |
| Rockburn Township Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Ilchester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ilchester
24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ilchester
Bark Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Ilchester
Cascade FallsIn Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area
DirectionsScenic views in Ilchester
Avalon DamIn Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area
DirectionsRockburn BendIn Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ilchester
Avalon AreaIn Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area
DirectionsOrange Grove AreaIn Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 25.7 miHorses · 9.5 miUnpaved · 27.0 mi
Morning Choice Trail2.7 mi
Garrett's Pass2.5 mi
Ridge Trail2.4 mi
Bloede Dam Trail1.4 mi
Nacho1.3 mi
Rockburn Trail1.3 mi
Cascade Falls Trail1.3 mi
Valley View Trail1.1 mi
Rockburn Branch Trail (purple)1.1 mi
Belmont Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Nu Trail
0.8 miRidge Trail Extension
0.8 miPain Cave
0.8 miLewis and Clark
0.6 miHop The Snake
0.6 miUpper Cascade Falls Trail
0.6 miBarley and Hops
0.6 miLog Trail
0.5 miOld Track Loop
0.5 miCaptain John Smith Loop
0.4 miLong Cut
0.4 miBike Buster-Downhill
0.4 miSkills Park Trail
0.3 miPale Morning Dun Connector
0.3 miRiveside
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Patapsco Traverse (south mtb)Bike route
5.3 miPatapsco Alt HoCo Thru TrailBike route
5.1 miGarrett's PassBike route
2.5 miMorning Choice TrailBike route
1.3 miCourts & fields
15Baseball
11Tennis
6Multi-sport
6Basketball
3Soccer
3Pickleball
1Lacrosse
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ilchester: 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 46 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 85 | 79 | 68 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.8 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 Ilchester →
Next door
Ilchester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilchester | 19% | 3.3 | 18 | 87% | A |
| Ellicott City | 16% | 2.1 | 22 | 75% | A |
| Catonsville | 3% | 3.8 | 7 | 77% | B+ |
| Columbia | 26% | 1.0 | 41 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Elkridge | 6% | under 0.1 | 5 | 88% | C+ |
| Arbutus | 3% | 0.6 | 5 | 84% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ilchester
Where can I hike in Ilchester?
The longest trail networks: Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area, 20.4 miles; Rockburn Branch Park, 7.7 miles; Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area, 4.2 miles; Howard County Conservancy at Belmont, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ilchester is conserved land?
19% 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 Ilchester’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Patapsco Valley State Park Orange Grove Area (on leash) and Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ilchester?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Patapsco Traverse (south mtb), Patapsco Alt HoCo Thru Trail and Garrett's Pass.
Is there public land near Ilchester?
18,480 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ilchester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 506 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ilchester have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Ilchester 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 →