Warner Circle Special Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: TownCreative · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Kensington
8% of Kensington’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. 8% of Kensington’s land is conserved, about 24 acres. 19 acres are parks and preserves, 7.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #136 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
24 acres · of 0.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.1 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
19 ac
7.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
What kind of outdoors town is Kensington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kensington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kensington is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #136 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kensington’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land7.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (19 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13C+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 69%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 48%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Kensington’s 8% is ahead of 45% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kensington Cabin Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Frederick Avenue Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Frederick Avenue Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Warner Circle Special Park5 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsKensington Cabin Park4 acres · Montgomery Parks
St. Paul Park3 acres · Town of Kensington
DirectionsSaint Paul Neighborhood Conservation Area1 acres
Ernest Memorial Park1 acres · Town of Kensington
DirectionsClum-Kennedy Park1 acres · Town of Kensington
Reinhardt Park1 acres · Town of Kensington
DirectionsWho protects it
24 conserved acres
8% of Kensington’s land. Who manages Kensington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land6 ac
Town or city5 ac
Regional agency5 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Not recorded9 ac
Local Park · 12 acState Other or Unknown · 8 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 6 acLocal Conservation Area · 1 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Circle Manor Up Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| St. Paul Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Frederick Avenue Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Ernest Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Saint Paul Nca Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
| Reinhardt Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Kensington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kensington
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Kensington
Kensington Dog Run
DirectionsPicnic areas in Kensington
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Basketball
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Skate park
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
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.
Kensington Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Kensington: 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 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 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 Kensington →
Next door
Kensington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington | 8% | 0.2 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| South Kensington | 20% | 0.9 | 3 | 85% | B+ |
| North Kensington | 11% | 0.4 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kensington
Where can I hike in Kensington?
The longest trail networks: Frederick Avenue Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kensington is conserved land?
8% 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 Kensington’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at St. Paul Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kensington?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Kensington?
17,734 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kensington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 19 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kensington have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #136 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 Kensington 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 →