Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
178 acres4.4 mi of trail
Northwest Branch TrailRachel Carson Greenway TrailNorthwood-Chesapeake Bay Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kemp Mill
Kemp Mill has 6.7 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
18% of Kemp Mill’s land is conserved, about 285 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park (4.4 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #71 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
285 acres · of 2.5 sq mi of land
Trails
6.7 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
33 ac
2.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Kemp Mill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kemp Mill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kemp Mill is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #71 of 261 in Maryland. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kemp Mill’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (33 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home96% 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 73%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Kemp Mill’s 18% is ahead of 82% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% 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 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
55 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Kemp Mill Estates Local Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Argyle Local Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
9 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park178 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsBreewood Neighborhood Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSligo Creek Stream Valley Park55 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsArgyle Local Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsKemp Mill Urban Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Kemp Mill Estates Local Park11 acres · Montgomery Parks
Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park4 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSouth Four Corners Neighborhood Park2 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsForest Grove Neighborhood Park1 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWho protects it
285 conserved acres
18% of Kemp Mill’s land. Who manages Kemp Mill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency33 ac
County7 ac
Not recorded278 ac
State Other or Unknown · 278 acLocal Park · 28 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 acConservation Easement · 3 acForest Stewardship Easement · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 13 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 | 196 | Unknown |
| Sligo Creek Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 76 | Unknown |
| Kemp Mill Estates Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Argyle Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Breewood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| Margaret Schweinhaut Center Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Sligo-Dennis Avenue Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Kemp Mill Up Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| South Four Corners Np Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Forest Grove Np Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
26 places to go in Kemp Mill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kemp Mill
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Kemp Mill
Parkland Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Kemp Mill
23 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.4 miHorses · 3.7 miUnpaved · 5.8 mi
Northwest Branch Trail3.1 mi
Northwood-Chesapeake Bay Trail0.3 mi
Chesapeake Bay Trail0.2 mi
Rachel Carson Greenway Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 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
2.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Northwest Branch TrailBike route
3.1 miCourts & fields
19Basketball
10Tennis
8Baseball
5Soccer
1Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kemp Mill: 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 Kemp Mill →
Next door
Kemp Mill and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wheaton12 miSilver Spring11 miColesville8.4 miKemp Mill6.7 miForest Glen2.9 miBurnt Mills2.9 miWhite Oak2.6 miFour Corners1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemp Mill | 18% | 2.7 | 3 | 96% | A− |
| Wheaton | 22% | 1.7 | 13 | 99% | A |
| White Oak | 13% | 0.8 | 5 | 46% | B |
| Forest Glen | 14% | 2.9 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Colesville | 16% | 1.6 | 9 | 93% | A |
| Four Corners | 14% | 1.0 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Burnt Mills | 15% | 3.5 | 3 | 99%+ | A |
| Silver Spring | 15% | 1.4 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kemp Mill
Where can I hike in Kemp Mill?
The longest trail networks: Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, 4.4 miles; Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, 0.1 miles; Argyle Local Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kemp Mill is conserved land?
18% 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 Kemp Mill’s trails?
Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park and Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kemp Mill?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Northwest Branch Trail.
Is there public land near Kemp Mill?
19,515 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kemp Mill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 33 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kemp Mill have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Kemp Mill 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 →