Lavale District Park
Managed by Allegany County Commissioners
73 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in La Vale
11% of La Vale’s land is conserved: 639 acres
The biggest trail networks: Lavale District Park (0.6 mi). 98 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 5.0 miles of mapped trail cross La Vale, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #113 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
639 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.0 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
98 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 3.5 mi paths
Highest peak
2,421 ft
Piney Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is La Vale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Vale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Vale is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #113 of 261 in Maryland. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Vale’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (98 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home59% 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 73%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 57%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so La Vale’s 11% is ahead of 58% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 51% 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 Lavale District Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 5 parks & preserves
Lavale District Park73 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Allegany County Commissioners
DirectionsLavale Community Park7 acres
DirectionsHolly Field4 acres
DirectionsOrt Field4 acres
DirectionsFireman Field1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
639 conserved acres
11% of La Vale’s land. Who manages La Vale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County971 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government8 ac
Other state land3 ac
Not recorded61 ac
Conservation Easement · 962 acLocal Park · 75 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 3 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 562 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavale Distric Park Local Park | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Lavale Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| Holly Avenue Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Ort Field Local Recreation Area | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in La Vale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in La Vale
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in La Vale
Piney Mountain2,421 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in La Vale
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
6Baseball
5Soccer
4Basketball
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
La Vale Tollgate HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in La Vale: April 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 43 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in La Vale →
Questions about parks and trails in La Vale
Where can I hike in La Vale?
The longest trail networks: Lavale District Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Vale is conserved land?
11% 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 La Vale’s trails?
Lavale District Park and Lavale Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in La Vale?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 3.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near La Vale?
14,560 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Vale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does La Vale have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #113 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 La Vale 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 →