Photo: Mopenstein · Public domain14% of Manchester’s land is conserved: 216 acres
3.2 miles of mapped trail cross Manchester, 1.3 per square mile of land. 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 98 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #51 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Manchester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manchester is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #51 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Manchester’s 14% is ahead of 72% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Westside Memorial Park
216 conserved acres
14% of Manchester’s land. Who manages Manchester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 108 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 42 of 88 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Valley Park (Town of Manchester) Local Park | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
| Charlotte'S Quest Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Westside Memorial Park (Town of Manchester) Local Park | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Pine Valley Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Town of Manchester Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Hallie Hills Walking Trail Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Manchester Es Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Lions Club Pool Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
| Southwestern Avenue Athletic Field Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Crossroads Overlook Playground Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Manchester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 peaks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
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 best walking months in Manchester: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 84 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Manchester →
Questions about parks and trails in Manchester
How much of Manchester is conserved land?
14% 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 Manchester’s trails?
Christmas Tree Park and Westside Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Manchester?
7,804 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manchester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Manchester neighbors.
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 →